The 6th Istari
by Kitera-Matar
Summary: R for gore CurunirSaruman loved her with all of his soul, he would have laid down his life for her. So why was she in the arms of Legolas? The HARDEST thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody else. pre LotR to post LotR
1. The 5 Istari

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 1: The Five Istari  
  
Summary: She never knew her parents, but she knew that they must be a wizard and an elf. After all she had the tell-tale pointed ears and the powers of hands and minds of wizards, what else could it be? She could accept that she was half-elf, half-wizard. She could accept that she never knew who her parents were, and that her teacher, Gandalf, did know, and wouldn't tell. But why did she have to fall in love with Saruman?  
  
Disclaimer: Well you probably know the rigmarole, but I'll say it anyway. most of the places, people, or things in this story come from The Lord of the Rings. They are J.R.R. Tolkien's and not mine. I have borrowed some certain small ideas from different stories and combined them; I hope no one minds.  
  
Background: Around 1000, in the 3rd Age, (Basically - Lord of the Rings took place right at the end of the 3rd age- 3018. Aragorn's reign started the 4th age) wizards, or Istari, first appeared. It was said afterwards that they had been sent out of the far west in the form of men to help band together all who would resist Sauron for the hard times yet to come. They were not allowed to contest openly against the evil, nor dominate any race by fear or force. There were five sent over. The greatest two were Curunir, also called Saruman, and Mithrandir, also called Gandalf. They were never young and aged slowly. Their true names were known to few, but the names that were given to them they used instead. But although they were Istari, rich in knowledge and powers of hand and mind, they were also men, and had the need for companionship. Thus there were more wizards, the children of the original five.  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap. Everything in the Background came from the Lord of the Rings, except for their need for companionship and the results which I am making up for the need of my story.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There were once five Istari, or wizards that came across the sea.  
  
The first was Curumo, Curunir in elvish, "The Man of Skill", and Saruman to men; he was of the White order.  
  
The next was Olorin, Mithrandir to the elves, "The Grey Pilgrim", and Gandalf to men; he was of the Grey order.  
  
Then came Aiwendil, Radagast in elvish, "The Animal Tamer", he spoke not to men; he was of the Brown order.  
  
Of the last two there was Alatar, Lomeohtar to the elves, "Warrior of the Twilight", and ________ to men; he was of the Blue order.  
  
Lastly came Pallando, __________ to the elves, "_________", and __________ to men; he was also of the Blue order.  
  
Their number was a mere five for the many thousands of leagues that covered Middle Earth. Their number needed to be increased; and the first to add was Alatar.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
About three months after the Istari arrived, Alatar had been wandering in the mountains of Ered Nimrais, in the land of Gondor, and had chanced upon her. I cannot say which of them fell in love first, or even if they had fallen in love. Although it was rare that an elf marry anyone other than an elf, she did marry him. They would both live long lives, and althgouh he would show his age, he would still be alive in thousands of years. The elfin maiden's name has been lost in time, and few now know who she was. But wither way, she became the an important figure in the shaping of history. Because elves have a lot of say where seed falls, she had a lot to say about Alatar's seed, no matter if the seed was the beginning of a plant or man or elf. But she for some reason wanted a child, an odd occurance, since many elves wait before they try and have a child. Elven babies are rare and few. Men have children all the time, but they life span is also much shorter, the price they pay for the joy of children some say. But she accepted Alatar's seed and guided it. The next morning when she awoke early, she gave the chin of her lover one more caress and gave him a look so filled with her love that it woke him, and with open arms, sought the comfort that women need and only the man they love can give.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Almost a year later, a woman called Peranell opened the door of her home to a stranger knocking on it. Peranell was of the Dunedain and lived in the north side of the Ered Mithrin; in the far north, near the Northern Waste. She was a midwife who had just had a child a month earlier. When she looked out into the cold autumn night, all she saw was a hooded figure. The figure spoke, it's voice that of the soft lilting voice of a woman. "Are you the midwife?" the cloaked figure asked. "Yes, but who wants to know and why?" Peranell asked back. "I do, can you-" a groan erupted from the woman's lips. She grasped the doorway and her body shook convulsively; her knuckles grew white from the effort to endure the pain but a small groan still escaped her mouth. In the light from the fire in the house, Peranell could see the woman's lips and nothing more, the hood overshadowed the face, but she saw the woman's perfect white teeth bite her lower lip in a valiant effort to hold back the outcries that clearly wanted to be realeased. "By all the Eldar! Are you pregnant?" The woman merely nodded her head, but Peranell had already rushed to the woman's side and helped her up and into the house.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Outside a man watched Peranell help the woman inside the house. Then he settled down to wait, it would be awhile. Elven births were rare and took a very hard toll on the elves, one reason that births were so rare. Alatar would wait, even if orcs were coming, he would not abandon his love. He would slay them all, he would have died if it meant his love and his child would survive. But he stayed still, quiet, and ready.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Inside, Peranell quickly decided she had never seen a harder childbirth. The new mother-to-be had not been able to keep the cloak wrapped around her long with her contractions and the cloak was quickly taken away. The first thing that Peranell noticed were her ears. The pointed ears broke the surface of long wavy blonde hair and pointed to the ceiling. The fire was stoked up by one of Peranell's children and water was put to boil. Clean cloths were taken out and an old shirt that Peranell's used for births was taken out. Peranell put on the shirt and helped the woman onto a low, long table.  
  
The contractions went on long into the night and into gray of coming dawn. The drain of birthing was great on the elven mother and her new children; newborn twins. As a matter of fact, her as well, it was hard being a mid- wife. Peranell thoughts as she fanned her face with her hands as she sat sprawled out in a chair. She watched one of her daughters help the blonde elf mother. As Peranell watched the mother with her new twin children, she could see the joy in all three. Normally a newborn baby was just hungry, but these babies seem to thrive on just being alive. They were twins, a boy and a girl. They each also had pointed ears- they were elvish.  
  
Peranell wondered why an elf would come to her for help, did her own people turn her out? She had never heard of elves turning their own kind out. They were a tight-knit and quiet reclusive group, elves. But she didn't ask. If an elf wanted help, she would give it freely and willingly. She put the elf woman and her brand-new children in her own bed. Then she took her own child, Heidi, her third daughter, and youngest of seven. Peranell moved into the bed of her oldest son and told him to "Sleep with your brother tonight, Naracur." And then fell into a light sleep, she wanted to be able to help the new mother in case she needed anything.  
  
But even in a light sleep, humans, even those of the Dunedain, can't be woken up by an elf, even one who has just gone through childbirth. The light boned elf slipped out of the house in the early morning ligh and settled her cloak more securkly about her to hide all of her foreign features and clothes. She had slipped the twins in the blanket with Peranell only moment before. She wanted to contest the will of Iluvatar and keep them, her only children, Elvish children are rare. Twins are even rarer. Why must I give up my only children? She thought, but no one contests Iluvatar.  
  
She had given them one last kiss and left; tears full of sadness leaking down her cheeks. She knew that where Alatar was going, no child should be taken, especially an elven child. Elves were rare in middle earth. Outside of their elvish cities, elves may as well be extinct for how much you see them, especially in the south. One tear dripped off a finely chiseled chin and dropped to the earth, making a small drop of mud. Other than the two extra small forms lying in a bed in Peranell's house, it was the only sign that the elf had been there.  
  
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Ok, wizard names: The real ones are all of Radagast, Gandalf and Saruman. For the other two the only real names that came from the book were Alatar and Pallando. I don't have any ideas for the wizard's names, I gave up trying to think of some names for them. Any ideas, PLEASE tell me! I am giving up on them for now, the names figure in later, I will figure them out then.  
  
Oh, the whole Iluvater thing. I haven't read the Similarion (sp?), only parts, so I know the elves know about him but I'm not sure what they call him. I think it may be Ea or something. Anyone know? Is what I have fine?  
  
Well, that's that so far. This first chap is a bit boring, but it's stuff that you need to know later on, so bear with me. But please review, I REALLY want this story to work out!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	2. Sweet 16 and not dead yet

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 2: Sweet 16 and not dead yet  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Many years passed, and many people grew. But Tiwena and Rapheal seemed to shoot up to the age of 16 faster than was humanly possible. They matured quickly and learned even quicker. The twins only friends were few, but loyal. On the top of the list was Peranell, their foster mother. Next was Heidi, their foster-sister and close friend. But other than a few lukewarm friends and Peranell's family, the rest of the village distrusted and feared them.  
  
The two rarely were seen talking to each other, but they sometimes laughed at things that others near them never heard or cried at something that no one could see to explain the sudden sadness. No one except for Heidi knew of their ability to mind-speak. The twins were able to speak into anyone's mind with concentration and energy. But they were able to speak to each other without effort, although the greater the distance between them, the more effort it took. If Heidi thought clearly at them, they could hear her quite well.  
  
Although she was a month older, Heidi was very immature and the twins were very mature for their age, so the three got along beautifully. The twins were more serious and laughed only rarely, but when they did, it seemed to make the sun shine and the moon glow, and made your insides flutter like a bunch of butterflies with joy. Heidi was always there with a joke, a laugh, a listening ear, or a restraining hand for the serious and prideful younger Rapheal and older Tiwena. Heidi was fit, but nowhere near the level of fitness of the twins. Plus the twins could DO things, odd things; it just seemed to come out of them.  
  
The twins needed the three-way-friendship, for they were always talked about and gossiped about. They were seldom separated but were strong and agile, and proved very quickly they could protect themselves.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
For a week Rapheal had been watching the men of the village practice sword fighting and Tiwena had been watching the archery practice on a field just outside the village. Tiwena and Raphael sat next to each other, their shoulders touching, their backs against the wooden fencing, silently watching. Heidi sat on the fence behind them, with her arms entwined around the log keeping her balance. Her neck was craned backward, a long stemmed piece of grass sticking out of her mouth, while she staring at the crawling clouds.  
  
The watching pair with their tag-along made the men and boys nervous but they pretended they weren't there. Finally the uneasiness snapped. One boy stomped his foot and marched over to them. Everyone's eyes were immediately riveted upon the angry boy. The boy was Tolliver, and he was a bully, as mean as they come.  
  
"Don't say anything nasty Raph." Tiwena shot her brother a quick glance. "It's not me you should be worrying about Twe." He glared at Tolliver, a big boy who had bullied both of them many times. Heidi thought to the twins, "Tolliver's really mad this time, you better be careful what you say. He might finally challenge you in front of everyone." Tolliver stopped in front of them and glared down. "What are you staring at creeps?!" He shouted. A crowd started to gather, people from both the archery range and the sword side came to hear and see the fight.  
  
"We were watching you practice," Tiwena said evenly. She spread her hands, "What is wrong with that?" It was a query, but not one that Tolliver wanted to answer. There was NOTHING wrong with it, but they were different, and the race of man tends to bristle around what they don't understand.  
  
"What? Think you're so much better than us?" Tolliver pointed at them and addressed the crowd, spinning slowly to see everyone. "They think they can do better than we can. They have hardly ever held a weapon in their life and they think they can be better."  
  
"Idiot." Heidi thought to them, "If he was half as smart as he pretended to be he would see the calloused hands on you two; Raph from the sword and Twe from the bow, and the way you walk as a fighter does, ready for anything at anytime. You practice EVERY day! Just because it's not with them, they assume you know nothing!" The large crowd that had gathered around them heard the angry roars of Tolliver quite well. They fell for what they knew, Tolliver - an angry murmur started to arise.  
  
"I dare you to best us, any of us in the sword," he glared at Rapheal, "and in the bow." He glowered at Tiwena.  
  
"We never said that we were better than ANY of you!" Raphael tried to tell everyone, but no one listened.  
  
Heidi stood up and yelled at Tolliver, "Calm down Tolliv-" but she was cut off by the crowd's angry shootings. One of the best archers, Kerta, came forwards; he held two bows. He threw one at Tiwena, he half-expected her to miss the bow and have it drop on the ground. Yet, she rose up in a smooth rapid motion and caught the bow with her left hand. A naked sword was thrown at Rapheal. The sword flipped and turned and glinted as it rose and fell in the air, but when Rapheal arose and caught it in a swift fluid motion mirroring his sister's, he was holding the handle.  
  
Heidi saw that they had changed somehow, she was afraid of this. She had seen them many times before this way. When they would fight each other they would get very serious, and then they would seem to grow somehow, more noble or regal or focused or something. Before they were two kids, elvish kids, but kids none the less. Now they were fighters, tall strong, and very good, I know from personal experience.  
  
They both had short chin length brown red hair, but Twe's was a little bit shorter and Raph's was a little longer so he could tie it behind his head. They also each wore a shirt that tied up in the center with laces and pants that were to long and when they tucked them into their boots it puffed out. The boots were made of smooth leather and were calf high. They wore belts at their waists. On each belt were some pouches; each was different sized and held different contents. They were lithe and strong, for their build some thought they were normal, nothing special to talk about. But were they wrong.  
  
She knew very well. They had gone swimming a lot and she had seen their muscles. Both were rippling with muscles, each and every one was toned, defined, and well used. Both would have been considered handsome and beautiful, if not for the distrust and menace opposed towards them. They had curves in all the right places and when they smiled they were wonderful to look upon. But now, they were strong, dauntless, and terrible to look upon in the prowess and strength they had worked hard to aquire.  
  
Raph sent Heidi a quick grin over his shoulder, her insides turned over, they had been doing that a lot lately when she was around Raph. "We'll be ok." Twe sent to her her gaze still locked on Kerta, the archer.  
  
Raphael quickly tied his hair back, Tiwena's hair was tied in a ponytail already but because of it's shortness, a lock hung over the front of each her ears. She tucked these behind her ears; it did not help matters that both motions exposed their leaf-like ears more. But they marched to their respective sides the fields.  
  
The crowd split. One half to see the girl try to shoot down the best archer in town, one who could split a willow wand at 50 paces; and the other half to see the boy try to draw first blood with Tolliver, who was already showing great promise to be a fighter.  
  
"Try not to hurt him too hard, Raph, give him some thing to gloat over, maybe a couple of torn places in your clothes?" Heidi told Raph, Twe agreed. But Raph just told them back "humph. You could say the same to Twe." Twe sent them a quick image of her laughing as she hit the archer over the head with the borrowed bow and Kerta ripped her shirt with an arrowhead, "Right, a few rips in my clothes would give an archer some pride!" Heidi groaned, but the twins faces remained expressionless, they were good at that.  
  
Heidi flicked her gaze back and forth, her hazel eyes trying to discern which to watch. But Cealli, the second girl of three came running up at that moment. All Heidi had to say was, "Tolliver has finally challenged them; Raph to swords against himself and Twe to bows with Kerta. Go watch Twe and I'll watch Raph." Cealli merely whistled and raised her eyebrows before they split off to find positions to watch their friends in their respective crowds.  
  
A willow wand was stuck in a tree when Cealli got there and started watching. 50 paces were being counted off. "Why are we doing 50 paces?" Twe asked the crowd, we know Kerta can split a wand at 50, why not more?" The crowd muttered at her digging herself in deeper, but 50 more were counted off.  
  
Heidi got there in time to see Tolliver and Raph standing facing each other. "First blood is easy, why not have a circle match?" Raph asked them. If the crowd thought that Raph would use any advantage he could get, they're wrong. Heidi thought with pride. She didn't see the edges of Raph's lips lift up slightly as he picked up her thought.  
  
The rules were read off.  
  
"The one to split the wand or to get the closest to the wand is the winner; any cheating and you lose." Twe noticed that the last rule was general enough that if she didn't play it safe they could get her for anything. Kerta looked anxiously at his arrows, trying to find the straightest one that would fly the best. Twe took the first one she touched without even looking. She reached amid her perfect arrows and emerged with an odd shaped one. It was almost like a spiral, but not quite. The middle was in a slight loop and if you looked down the center of the shaft you could see a hole that the loop formed.  
  
"The one to draw first blood wins, it is NOT to be a killing stroke! If you step outside the circle you will automatically be forfeit and the other will be declared winner." Tolliver glared at Raph, his upper lip drawing up into a sneer. Raph glanced coolly at Tolliver, his back straight, his eyes, a dark brown, the exact same color of his sister's, leveled on Tolliver.  
  
"GO!" and the fight for who was right and who would be the winner, had begun.  
  
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Hey again. Chap 2 is a lot like chap 1, it is a starter, it's just so you get to know something about the Twins and Heidi. Things pick up and really start to get going after this, promise! Oh, R/R PLEASE!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	3. The Fight

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 3: The Fight  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
TWANG! Kerta's bow sang as he let go of the straightest arrow he could find. Twe leaned on the borrowed bow and watched the arrow fly towards the target.  
  
CLASH! Tolliver lunged at Raph, trying to get past the blade that was in his way. But Raph had his guard up and was not letting it down.  
  
The arrow flew, it cut through a leaf, and Kerta winced, the hindrance, though slight, would slow the arrow down and maybe knock the arrow off course. Twe's neutral expression stayed on her face.  
  
Tolliver drew back and parried with Raph, he tied to find a fault, a weakness, slowness in doing a certain parry, a reluctance to move forward or backward, something, anything! Raph simply gave a small smile as he watched Tolliver's face grow red with the effort of trying to take him down.  
  
The arrow hit something, they could hear it, and a man ran up to the mark to see the results. "He sliced the wand!" He yelled back. The crowd cheered. Kerta's face, which had been worried and anxious, now cleared and he grinned down at Twe, "Beat that girl," He told her. Twe simply stared back.  
  
Tolliver got past Raph's guard and they could hear the sword slice something. The crowd cheered; but switched to booing when they saw that only the shirt was cut and no blood was drawn. Raph allowed himself a slim smile, "DON'T smile Raph, you are only encouraging him!" Heidi screamed at him in her mind. Raph merely sent back, "He's bad and boring, if he's mad he'll be more interesting." Heidi only sighed in exasperation, I should know better than tangle with Raph and his prey. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you should." Heidi stared at Raph's back, Since when have you been able to read my mind without me thinking at you? She thought, but was careful not to think it at him, "......" was her only response.  
  
Twe stepped up and quickly drew the arrow; she sighted briefly, and let the crooked arrow fly.  
  
Raph had finally lost patience for this incompetent boy. He attacked. Tolliver fell back stunned, up until now Raph had only parried and blocked, not attacked, but he now attacked with vigor and strength. Tolliver looked into his stern face and was frightened. It was as if his face was that of an ancient and angry Numorean king. It was noble, stern, beautiful, and disappointed.  
  
The arrow wobbled as it flew but it continued on it's way to the target and was half way there. Twe lowered the bow and watched the arrow fly.  
  
Tolliver blinked furiously trying to believe that the stern and severe look on Raph's face was not real, but it was, all TOO real. To try and ignore the face he shouted at Raph, "You're the son of a whore! Your own mother didn't want you! You're just some street filth that is no good to anyone!" Raph's lips drew togheter ina thin line and his eyes grew dangerously cold, but Tolliver didn't stop "That what your precious sister is going to become too! A Whore! And she will have to earn your bread while you rot in a gutter!" Raph pulled back his blade; it was aimed for Tolliver's head. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING RAPH?! DON'T KILL HIM!" Heidi yelled and screamed and pleaded with Raph in his mind. His arm paused, but then continued forward.  
  
They hit their marks.  
  
The arrow had hit the same point at which the other arrow was lodged. The first arrow stuck through Twe's arrow's loop - the two arrows seemed to hug each other.  
  
The tip of the sword made a single point in Tolliver's head, right between the eyes; a single drop fell from the small wound onto the sword point. The crowd was dead silent "First blood." Heidi whispered into the eerie silence.  
  
The man who had run up to the tree to see the results stopped in shock. Twe smiled a grim smile. With her elven sight, she could see the result as clearly as if it was a foot from her nose. The crowd ran up to the tree, Kerta included, all were curious. When they all got there and saw what she had done, they turned and stared at the 16 year old girl who still stood where she had shot, leaning on the borrowed bow, smiling grimly.  
  
Raph withdrew the point of the blade from Tolliver and touched the single drop of blood. Then he saw something, it seemed to be behind Tolliver's eyes, a darkness and a red eye. He thrust the sword blade down in the grass, and grabbed Tolliver's head with his hands, stared into Tolliver's eyes and behind them to the darkness. He called into Tolliver's head, "COME OUT! COME OUT WHATEVER DARK SPIRIT YOU ARE FROM THE DARK LAND! LET THIS BOY GO! GO BACK TO THE DEAD LAND WHERE YOU WERE CREATED! NEVER COME HERE AGAIN!" The crowd heard a roaring as the demon spirit came out of Tolliver, but no one could see it except Raph, Twe, and Heidi who saw it all through Raph's eyes.  
  
The demon was a tall dark shape. It looked like an orc or something by the outline but you couldn't be sure. The demon yelled at the people, telling them all about the twins, and their odd abilities to make them REALLY fear the twins, enough to cast them out of the village. But the people could not hear him, they only felt the great wind the demon was kicking up. The demon wanted to go back to Tolliver, he reached out and Tolliver's shirt was blown open by the wind, Raph saw a medallion hanging on his neck. The demon reached for it, Raph would not let him grab it, but his strength was draining. As soon as Twe sensed this, she sent a cord of power to her brother; she sagged against the bow and gave a grim smile, not at the crowd that stared at her, but at the demon.  
  
Twe whirled and dashed across the field to her brother, her steps faltered more with her failing energy but she managed to get there quickly. She pushed people aside to get at her brother and finally pushed the last person aside and she was Tolliver on the ground and Raph above him a stern and worn look on his face.  
  
She dashed to Tolliver and jerked her dagger out of it's sheath in her boot. She cut the thong that the medallion hung on around Tolliver's neck. Tolliver appeared to be in a stupor, not saying a word or even blinking. She lifted the medallion free. Tolliver coughed, the demon's last hold on Tolliver was gone, the medallion no longer touched his skin.  
  
Twe looked down at the flat piece of metal. On one side was engraved a eye with flames coming out from all around it. On the other side was a fuzzy engraving of the dark shaped demon. The leather thong and her hair whipped Twe's skin as the wind's furry increased. People backed up from the three people and Heidi tried to get to them but the wind blew her back.  
  
But it was now touching Twe's skin. She realized this the same moment Raph and the demon did. She looked up horrified and then her expression stayed that way. She was now battling the demon in her own mind as she fought for dominance over her own body.  
  
Raph yelled and threw himself at Twe, his only sister and kin. She toppled over under his weight, but the force and contact was all she needed to draw strength from her brother and she quickly fought the demon off and thrust him inside his circular pendant. He went in with a howl of rage and a final burst of wind forming a short-lasting tunnel.  
  
Twe opened her eyes and stared into her brother's concerned brown ones, identical to her own in every way. She smiled. Her thanks were unnecessary to speak; they knew each other's thoughts before it was even thought. He knew. They got up and dusted each other off. Heidi rushed up.  
  
She threw her arms around them both and panted, "Oh I thought I had lost you forever!" The twins grinned at each other over her shoulder and enjoyed her joy at their being alive.  
  
Tolliver's rough voice woke them of their reverie, "Huh? What's going on? Where's my medallion?"  
  
Raph turned to look at Tolliver's suspicious eyes and said, "You're free." Then he sagged against the sword. Heidi quickly stepped up to him and put his arm around her shoulder. She helped him away from the crowd and towards the village.  
  
They passed Twe by and Twe noted the odd look in Tolliver's eyes. She let Heidi and Raph pass her then walked over to Tolliver, he glared up at her, his mouth forming a sneer, "You're not going to get aw-" Thunk! Twe brought the round pommel of her dagger down on Tolliver's head and his eyes rolled upwards as he fell. She then hurried to join Raph and Heidi on the other side of Heidi. The crowd was to busy dealing with Tolliver to notice the escaped trio. Twe stumbled and Heidi's hand shot out to grab Twe's arm, Twe smiled at her and continued to walk stubbing her toes.  
  
They reached Caelli and she ran up them when she saw Twe and Raph sagging. She still couldn't believe Twe's long-forgotten shot. She touched Twe and when Twe almost fell, she grabbed Twe and herded her after Heidi and Raph towards the village and their house.  
  
They were at the edge of the clearing, at the outer edges of a small forest they you had to pass through to go up the hill (weaving in and out of more trees) to the village on top of a small hill and at the base of a much larger chain of mountains. "Wait, Raph and I have to do something, wait here for us." Twe pleaded, Heidi and Caelli reluctantly agreed.  
  
Raph and Twe hobbled to the forest and as soon as they were out of sight pulled themselves into a faster pace. Ina few minutes they reached a clearing Twe had in mind. Raph knew what she wanted to do as soon as they reached it. "The medallion?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
Twe opened her fist and there the coldly gleaming medallion lay. She had held on so tight the engravings had made temporary etchings into her own skin. She tilted her hand and the small medal fell to the forest floor. Raph and Twe held hands over the small circle of metal.  
  
They closed their eyes and concentrated, they had done this before but never this hot. They were going to make a fire strong and hot enough, but small enough to burn the medal. A small blue flame licked around the disk. An orange flame soon joined it. A red and purple quickly blended in, then green and yellow. The colored flames grew around the disk and became a bright white light. Sweat beaded the foreheads of the twins and identical lines of stress on their foreheads and between their eyes were formed as they concentrated.  
  
The disk bubbled and spit molten metal, but a white flame snicked out and caught the splash of molten metal, the flame curled around it and brought it back in. Soon the disk was a pool of liquid, then the liquid grew thinner and smaller as it slowly evaporated, a small cloud gathered above their head as they kept track of every single particle of the past demon and metal.  
  
"NOW GO!" THE words echoed from two pairs of lips, one male and one female, both sides of the race of man were represented and commanded the cloud. The cloud gave a last hiss, all it was able to do and then sped away over the mountain and towards it home in Mordor. The twins couldn't follow it that far, but they were sure it would get there. They had no doubts.  
  
The twins emerged from the forest more beaten they before but they were happy and leaned on each other after the great expenditure of energy from the afternoon. The four met at the forest edge in the moving shadows of leaves and slightly swaying trunks and branches, "You had to do that didn't you?" Heidi glared Raph and Twe as she asked them in her mind. She knew what they had done. She also knew it had to be done and as quickly as possible before it fell into another set of wrong hands and caused more trouble. But that didn't stop her form being mad.  
  
Caellia dn Heidi silently helped Raph and Twe through the forest. As Rapha dn tWe wlaked through they reached out hands and fingers and brushed leaves and bark and earth and air. Slowly, they gathered little by little form every plant and object that had just a LITTLE extra energy. But those little bits added up and by the time they reached the path up to the village they were nearly back to normal, still really winded though.  
  
Then they saw Roderick come running up.  
  
"WE'VE BEEN ATTACKED! THE ORCS ATTACKED THE VILLAGE!" He yelled. When he came up to Cealli and Heidi, who had been walking between the twins, he put his hands on Cealli and Heidi's shoulders and told them, "Peranell's dying."  
  
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Hello again. Chap 3 is again, a starter thing, this is kind of connects 2 and 4, but it is also important because it tell more of the twins and about them and the southern world is just now starting to intrude it's mean old head. 4 isn't up yet, it's SO badly written that I am changing a bunch of it, but 4 is kind of sad and necessary to 5 where the twins and Heidi come out of their own little world and realize that there is a whole lot more out there.  
  
Yeah, Keep reading though, r/r thanx!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	4. Blood Lust

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 4: Blood Lust  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
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Dying? Mother is dying? Heidi was in shock; all she could do was repeat the word dying over and over. She couldn't see what was in front of her even though her eyes were open. She couldn't hear even though there was a lot of noise, and she could focus on anything except - Dying? Raph heard Heidi's thoughts clearly; he was very attuned to her now and could hear her almost as clearly as he heard Twe. Twe had to concentrate some but could still hear the echoing words in Heidi's mind. "Dying?" The twins couldn't have been more surprised than if someone had pulled the floor out from underneath them. They also were in shock like Heidi. "Peranell" "is" "dying?" "no," "she" can't" "be." The two completed each others thoughts. But even though they to were in shock, their blood made they get pass the shock, if not the pain. They COULDN'T believe that their mother, a foster mother, but mother nonetheless, was dying. They turned to go to her, to prove that she was well, that this was all some horrible hoax, but deep down they knew. They turned and plucked up all the energy they had and ran as fast as they could towards the house.  
  
When they got to the village they found it was in a smoky ruin. The orcs apparently had plundered it and then burned it to the ground. Everyone had been out watching the matches, everyone except Peranell. Why? Why didn't she come? They raced through the wreck, side by side to their house, to Peranell's house. In the middle of the ruin they saw Peranell lying there, almost dead. They ran up to her, but couldn't do anything to help her. A large grisly orc spear was pinning her to the wall and she was already dying, her organs shutting down, never to run again. But if they pulled the spear out, she would die from bleeding before they could stop it. They held her head and her hands and tried to calm her as well as them selves. Twe brushed away a bit of blood dribbling form the corner of Peranell's mouth, "No." she said, but that simple statement wobbled in the air, and shook.  
  
Raph thought of when they were five and Tolliver had first made fun of them and how when they had come racing home to let out the tears. Peranell had hugged them and let them cry on her shoulders. She rocked them until they had fallen asleep in her lap, one on each side and she had sat with them for about an hour. That was one of the few times that they had fallen into a deep sleep and not a light sleep like they normally did. They had felt such a great amount of security to be surrounded by Peranell's plump arms and to be sitting in her warm lap and to hear her beating heart as she rocked them slowly.  
  
Twe remembered how when she was sick how Peranell had sat by her side all day and held her hand. She had put cool cloths on her forehead and whispered sooths sounds to her. Every time Twe woke up form a bad dream, Peranell had been there to comfort her and shoo the nightmare away. No matter if Twe had tried o hide the fact she was awake, Peranell seemed to always know and would hug her and rock her until she went back to sleep.  
  
They remembered her scolding for being out at night "No matter the stars, when you go to bed, your suppose to stay in bed!" She had finally thrown up her hands at their defenses and replicated pleas and looks. She had relented to let them go for ONE hour each night to go stargazing. They smiled at all her sighing and rolling eyes and looks upwards as if for help, because they knew she was playing with them in a way.  
  
Heidi was still running towards the village, her movements not the best. Her brother and sister, who were also in pain, were warriors and put up shields between their feelings and their movements. So they could move, but they were feeling just as much pain as Heidi was. But they could help her though; she would come, but it would be too late. The twins connected to Heidi so she could "see" her mother's last moments. "Peranell?" Twe asked hesitantly, she reached into her mind. The aftermath and snitches of the battle kept replaying in her mind. The Orcs had suddenly arrived. Peranell had tried to defend herself but her sword lay broken at her side, it had also fought it's last battle. The blood and gore and pain and sorrow for leaving those she loved behind was all there. She knew she as dying, and she welcomed it, a release from the pain she had been feeling for years, a way to see her husband again, a release from the present pain she was in. Twe grew angry and frightened at Peranell's calmness, NO! You can't dye! You can't! I'll do anything, but stay here mother, stay here..  
  
Twe felt the tears hiding behind her eyes, but they wouldn't fall. Raph felt sobs trying to get out, but his throat was closed. They felt the grief roll itself into a ball inside their very essence. The ball was a hard painful gem, sharp, and deadly. Even for how small it was, it threatened to engulf their entire self. The three were now locked in a death defying struggle, the two were trying to hold onto Peranell, to keep the only mother they had known, the one place that they had ever felt safe, the one person who, if she was protecting their sleeping forms, they could actually fall into a deep sleep. They were otherwise were always in a light sleep.  
  
Peranell had been their mother; they had never had anyone else. They had also never felt the pain of anyone dying before. It was terrible as if all the joy in the world had been ripped away and only the pain, hurt, and anguish was left. They wanted to cry, to sob, but it wouldn't come out. They were opposite from humans in that respect. Where as humans could rarely keep their emotions form inhibiting them, or keep their emotions from showing; the elvish blood or something else in them caused them to quickly move over the shock and get to the matter. The emotion was hidden deep inside them, only to come out when there was peace around them and they could get it all out, otherwise it would stay there forever. The knot of grief and pain and anguish seemed to douse their whole being in coldness, in sorrow and torment.  
  
Twe managed to carefully rip all the gruesome memories away from Peranell, and Raph set her at the present. They blocked the pain from Peranell; their foster mother deserved that at least in the end. But Twe felt the helplessness of their efforts, and they couldn't do much else. "WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?!" she cried to the heavens, her agony and despair were clearly written over her whole face, not even hope remained, but for the sake of trying she called to the heavens, not believing that their would be an answer. "WHAT CAN I DO TO SAVE MY MOTHER?! TELL ME AND I WILL DO IT, NO MATTER IF I COSTS ME MY LIFE, I WLL DO IT! BUT TELL ME! Tell me." her mind cries died down to whimpers and still dry-eyed she stared at Peranell, she chocked on the sobs that wished to get free. She felt a memory stirring in Peranell's dim mind, trying to escape. She reached again into Peranell's mind and freed the memory from age.  
  
It was of the night they were born. She gazed at the face of the elf, it was contorted in childbirth but it was still beautiful. She wished she knew who she was; had met her. She saw herself and Raph through Peranell's eyes as she woke up that first morning and saw the newborn babes, she felt the warmth of love that Peranell still felt for them, their baby faces blurring into their actual faces, in Peranell's fuzzy mind.  
  
I love you. Peranell's mind played though everyone, all her children and her foster children, even her husband who had died a month after Heidi was conceived. Her thoughts focused on Raph and Twe, You were destined for great things, I wish I had told you that, I hope you realize that and never forget that, never forget...her thoughts changed yet again and the faces of her family blurred around in her mind, I love you allllll..  
  
Then she died. Tiwena and Rapheal couldn't have the heart to end her pain, but Iluvatar had done that much for them at least. She had dies a quick death, the memories of her family, and loving thoughts on her mind.  
  
Raph and Twe had never felt such a rage come over them. The knot and ball of grief that had made them so cold now turn to heat and flames of revenge and anger burned through them. The feelings were so potent and the flames so high, that only though a little leaked into Heidi, she immediately became flaming mad, and raced ahead of her brother and sister, more adrenaline being pumped into her body. Experienced fighters call this blood lust. You lose all reason in the surge of hatred and seek only the blood of your enemy. Heidi had caught the blood lust from the twins and was running into the village just as they stood up from the dead body of Peranell. The three stared at each other; Heidi dropped to ground in front of her mother, gave Parnell's cheek one last kiss and stood up, she knew that the twins had already said their good-byes and gave their last kisses. She stroked the chin of her mother and then stood up. The twin's eyes had been momentarily soften by Heidi's farewell, but now all six eyes blazed again, they all unanimously turned and went to the cellar.  
  
The cellar was a fake floor where weapons and food were stored. Raph opened the door and Twe grabbed some weapons and handed them out to Heidi. They then proceeded to put on bows and quivers of arrows, swords, and extra arrows; and even some dirks and daggers that Twe had found hidden in the back. They stuck those here and there, in their pants, belts, and boots.  
  
Raph was the best tracker so Heidi and Twe stood in front of Peranell's cooling body while he searched out tracks. Twe could hear the people coming. Twe suddenly drew her sword and bow and knelt in front of Peranell's body, she stuck the knife blade down-wars in the earth and the bow she laid on the ground in front of it. She clasped the hilt of the sword and spoke. Her voice was gruff, but the words came out, "Peranell, my foster mother, I swear to you this day, that I will not rest until you have been revenged. I will make sure that all the orcs that did this are killed. And I will kill 115 more orcs after those that did this destruction are gone, one for each of the years that you graced this earth. I swear by this sword and this bow." Heidi leaned over and placed a hand on the sword's pommel and said, "This to do I swear, that I will help her in this until the deed is done." Raph found the track out of the village; he had also heard the vows, he came over and placed a hand on Heidi's and said simply, "As do I." Twe stood up and re-sheathed the sword and re- attached the bow. Raph told them the path led south, over the mountains.  
  
Just as the rest arrived, the three were leaving the village, their only cadence that of their pounding hearts and minds calling for the blood of their enemies. They did not hear the cries of those behind them, but focused on trying to hear the sound of their enemies, They will be caught and punished Peranell, my only mother, I promise you that much.  
  
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Well, from here on in it gets more interesting. I can promise that they find the orcs next chapter. R/r please!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	5. Three Pursuers

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 5: Three Pursuers  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
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As they loped away, Twe could feel the adrenaline pumping through her body, she would need it for later, she calmed her thoughts down and the adrenaline stopped. She then sent calming thoughts to Heidi. She was sure Heidi had adrenaline in her body too. Heidi would definitely need it later. As they loped away and into a forest of trees, Raph stopped them every once in a while to check and make sure that they were on the right path. When they stopped, Raph and Twe would be breathing slightly harder but Heidi would be puffing.  
  
Finally, Raph told Twe in a tight thought that didn't include Heidi, "We can't go on like this, Heidi won't last and we can't just leave her here! Besides, she has a right to the orcs too, she swore also." He quickly added before Twe could place any contradictory arguments. Twe thought for a second then sent Raph a picture in her head It was Heidi on Raph's back and Raph was only putting out some more effort, but the thoughts coming from him were extremely pleased. Raph smiled, embarrassed, and Twe toothily grinned back. They told Heidi what they thought; she didn't look displeased at the new arrangements either. She knew how strong Raph was and that she would be hardly a burden to him.  
  
They set off again, this time with Twe checking the tracks and sending pictures of what she saw to Raph if she wasn't sure. He would correct her if she was wrong and show her why. They continued onwards. They were heading up into the mountains. As the air grew thinner and colder, they drew on the extra clothes and gave Heidi all 3 cloaks, she was shivering, but her being carried on Raph it made it easier. The half elves could run lightly across the snow and the wind blew away their slight imprints in the snow. If Heidi had been walking she would have sunk in the snow and it would have delayed their band, something none of them wanted right now, pride could wait.  
  
When they got to solid ground, Heidi would run some more, for her sake as well as Raph's, pride was still an important thing, and then she would get back on Raph's back. They continued on. The air was crystal clear and the mornings were beautiful in an cold clear and deadly sort of way. The afternoon sun sparkled on the snow and sent bright rays of light reflections everywhere. In the bone chilling evenings the stars would come out and guided the band while the moon came out and shone its' light on them. The moon was slowly waxing, increasing from a thin sliver to a full circle in the sky.  
  
They passed over Ered Mithrin and continued on. They were getting closer to the orcs, and their fury easily rose again. The bitter pain of loss and death was their constant companion. The twins would wake up in the night to find Heidi crying and Raph would comfort her until she fell asleep, while Twe watched, knowing that Raph could give her more comfort than Twe could. Raph had always been the more open and likely to show his feelings; he would gladly stop a practice drill with weapons to marvel at a bird or he would prefer talking to taking actions. Twe had been the stoic warrior, never crying, and never asking for help, even when she was hurt, and pushing herself to her utmost limits to learn and become the best of the best. But the release of pain that would come with crying would not come to either of the half elves.  
  
They came to the Greenwood, very rightly named; it was bright and green and peaceful; and persistently trotted on into it. The path got easier. Twe was good at talking and listening to trees but not at following tracks. Although, if she had learned anything on this quest; it would most definitely be tracking. As she rested against a tree, her eyes closed and her hands palm downwards on the rough bark, she whispered to the tree. It had taken a while for her to figure out how to talk to them but she could now, it helped if she had as much contact with the tree as possible. So she pressed her cheek, hands, and body against it. She whispered to the tree, with thought as well as voicing words, "Tell me, grandfather, what do you know of orcs?" The trees told her about the orcs; there were 40, they were mean and tore down many branches to feed their fires, and didn't care it the sparks got lose and set the forest in a blaze. And most importantly, that they had gone southeast. And the trees also told her of something else that made her nervous. Other bands were in the woods, amazing amounts of orcs roamed the woods, more than any of the trees had ever seen, and they were hundreds of years old.  
  
They soon realized that if they hurried for the rest of today, they would reach them tonight. They raced through the woods. Jumping over fallen trees and branches, leaping over brooks, and dodging tree limbs, they raced through the day. Their hearts pounded and their shirts stuck to their bodies with sweat. Their muscles ached with the strain but kept going; sweat matted their hair and skin. Yet they sped forwards in pursuit, stopping less, they were close, and the band would not escape.  
  
Finally, night came on. The coolness was a blessing against their hot bodies. The cold sweat would have started to chill them if they hadn't been going so fast, but even still, as they slowed down every so often to preserve their strength, the cold nipped at them. Their breathing came in gasps; they were going full out, running like whirlwinds, swift as whirlwind at full speed, quick as a fire flaming into the sky, fluid as water on a calm day, and as sturdy as the trees they sped by, leaving no traces except a few light foot steps.  
  
The moon had risen earlier; it was now a full moon. They all blessed fate for this good luck, they could attack at night, and some odds would be with them. Orcs like the night and the dark. The moon would give the threesome light to see by and yet leave enough darkness to hide in.  
  
They finally caught up. The orcs were resting by a stream, arguing, as usual. Twe, Raph, and Heidi cooled off using a small tributary of the stream while they collected their thoughts. That was when Heidi started to have second thoughts. Maybe we shouldn't do this, none of us have ever killed before, and, and.well. "Now is not the time to be getting cold feet." Twe told Heidi.  
  
"It's not cold feet!" Heidi angrily defended herself. "Shhhhhhhhhh! You want them to hear you?" Raph clapped a hand over Heidi's mouth to stifle her protests, and glared at each of them in turn. "Don't enrage her!" he hissed in a tight thought at Twe, she told him back, equally tight but in a deceivingly calm voice, "She needs the rage. She will need all the adrenaline she can pump in her body!" Raph could barely sense the turmoil hidden beneath it, and only because they were so close could he sense it, others might call his sister cold hearted but he knew her feelings. Already fire was pumping its way through her veins. She could feel the anger, bitterness, sorrow, grief, and loneliness roll itself together; it called for revenge, her sword and arrows were thirsty and they needed to be satisfied. And she would make sure they were.  
  
She sent memories to the other two. First happy ones; memories of them playing, arguing, and talking to Peranell, then she sent a memory of Peranell's body and last moments. She then lowered her shield with great difficulty, and showed them what she felt now. Raph was shocked and Heidi was dumbfounded, Twe had always been then stone-faced one, one whom any emotion was rarely seen. Her feelings were deep, vivid, and brilliant in their intensity; it was amazing that she was able to keep them down. Raph felt like his feelings were mere small puddles of pastel colors next to Twe's immense sea of vibrant and glowing colors. But slowly her vibrant feeling flowing into the other two, she had more than enough anger to last them all. Fire started to burn in all of them. The three stood grim-faced and angry, three judges coming for justice.  
  
So what's the plan? Heidi asked, Raph proposed one he had been mulling over for some time now. "What if Twe shoots until she has no more arrows or she risks hitting us. Meanwhile, Heidi and I will charge in as soon as Twe starts shooting. Once Twe stops shooting, she can swordfight with us. If we need to retreat, I will call it." They agreed on it and started to prepare.  
  
They took off all their extra garments, cloaks, and outer layers, and put them under a bush. They then loosened their swords and tightened their sword belts. They stuck the extra arrows in the ground at Twe's feet. She would go through the extras first, then her quiver, which contained her arrows plus Raph's and Heidi's. They sent some prayers off that they would survive and fulfill their vengeance. Then stood up, a lord and two ladies, ready to fight.  
  
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DUN, DUN, DUN! The plot thickens, heck, just click chapter 6 if you can't stand it, but r/r first please!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	6. Orcs 100 vs People 3

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 6: Orcs (100) vs. People (3)  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
WARNING: This chapter is gory, if you don't want to read gore, then wait a bit, I will upload a less gory version soon. Violent, so don't say I didn't warn you.  
  
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With the memory of Peranell's dead body burned into her mind, Twe drew her first arrow. She drew it slowly and carefully to her ear. She sighted, and waited. Raph and Heidi drew their swords and stood ready, "Go!" they sprang into motion. Arrows flew from Twe, Raph sprang into the orcs and swung and lunged with his sword; fury feeding his body and him strength. Heidi was behind him, always defending and taking out an orc if she could get it.  
  
The orc band had forty orcs in it. Twe had taken seven down and wounded 15 more. Raph had killed eight orcs and wounded six. Heidi killed six, four of whom Raph had wounded and two who Twe had wounded.  
  
Raph swung, thrust, lunged, and parried. The sword became a blur of silver and sound as it whistled through the air and bit into his opponents. Orcs went down, blood was everywhere; his clothes were stained with blood, both of his own, a bright red, the orc's blood, a darker red, almost black. The orcs were larger, stronger, and heavier; but he was lighter, faster, and quicker. He used all he could to have an advantage over them. He used him nimbleness until he was like a fly, by the time you lifted your hand to swat it, it was gone.  
  
Twe was a superb shot; as she came to the last of the extra arrows she killed three more orcs. One was shot in the throat and the other two were killed in the eyes. One of the orcs shot in the eyes stumbled against another healthy orc, the orc swung around and the back of its spear jutted out as the orc swung to see who had stumbled into it. The butt hit Heidi in the head. She collapsed, falling to the ground amid the dirt, sweat, and blood.  
  
"NOOOOOOO! Heidi! Don't you dare die, you can leave, just wait!" Twe thought at Heidi, there was no reply; she was unconscious. Sweat broke out and sank into her already sweat-drenched clothes. Two orcs were zooming in on either side of Heidi; Raph hadn't notice that Heidi was down yet. Twe drew two arrows and placed them on her bow aiming carefully. The orcs stumbled as arrows pierced them but they continued towards the fallen human teenage girl, their stupid minds could only grasp so much. "DIE YOU BASTARDS!" Twe shot at them in her mind, fear threading it's way through her thoughts, she had lost Peranell, and she WASN'T going to lose Heidi in the same week. TWANG! TWANG! Another pair of arrows flew, TWANG! TWANG! The orcs finally fell, arrows piercing each of them through the ear and into the brain. But they had fallen on Heidi! They would crush her!  
  
Twe threw her bow on her shoulders and snatched her sword out of its' sheath. She then grabbed a long knife out. She rushed into the fray, making a beeline towards Heidi. She hacked at five orcs to get at her, blood spurted from one's cut throat; Twe had pushed another it moaned as it died, impaled on the sword of it's own companion whom it had fallen on. Moans, growls, threats, and screaming reached her ears, but she didn't pay attention to any of it.  
  
She slid her sword into the belly of another and as he showed no signs of dying, and ripped upwards. Bloody insides and other sights she could have gladly have lived without spilled before her eyes. The smell of blood and gore permeated everything and made her want to gag. She felt seriously sick. But she HAD to get Heidi free! She yanked and tugged and pulled the orcs off of Heidi. Heidi was free, but she felt critically sick and her guts decided to turn up just then. She knelt down and threw up. She was still wiping her mouth as she spun around and brought her sword up, crossing blades against a larger sword that an orc was bearing down on her, her arm shook but held, and Twe was decidedly on the bad side.  
  
She reached deep down inside her, to the place where she had found comfort and strength so many times before. She saw everything that she was down there, all the good, bad, and all that she knew she was and had not uncovered yet. Something down there had helped her and told her what to do many times before; maybe it would help her again. She got strength and courage, but not knowledge. She took the strength and shoved up, the orc fell away. She was about to go after him when she heard a weak plea, "Twe.'' that sounds like Rap- She turned around and gasped as she saw Raph lying belly downwards on top of Heidi. His mind and body were weak, but he gathered up enough strength to lift his head and look at her; after a heartfelt look on his pain-contorted face, his head quickly dropped, the effort of holding it up becoming to much. He was covered in blood, most of it his own, coming from the many gashes and cuts that covered his entire body.  
  
An orc was standing over him, Raph sent her a quick message, "he was going after Heidi. couldn't let him. hurt her. hope she's. ok. If things don't work out. tell her. tell her I. I love her..." Twe was shocked, before she could respond, Raph had faded into that black land of unconsciousness. She now faced the orc with anger in her every bone, tissue, and cell. No one hurt Raph and Heidi that bad and lived to tell the tale, NO ONE!  
  
The orc held a whip handle that had 10 or so leather thongs coming out from it, attacked to the end of each was a piece of glass or thorn or something equally sharp. Raph had stood up to the orcs and had gotten lots of cuts for it, but the lashes from the scourge were coming for their price; his blood and thus death. He was losing blood fast, too fast. Twe was reminded of someone else who had lost blood too fast once, "SHIT! NO, NO, DON'T DIE RAPHAEL, DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!" she couldn't do anything about it then or now, a wail of despair burst out from her soul, despair in all it's entirety came over her and filled her and then passed away, to be replaced by anger. The anger seemed to burn at Twe's insides calling for action. She suddenly was moving.  
  
She seemed to fly around, she killed the one she had pushed over and one other. She then proceeded towards the whip wielding orc. She snatched up an orc spear on the way. As her fingers tightened around the thick oak staff she sneered at eh orc and his vain attempt to kill them, because she would NOT let him live, not for what he had done to Raph.  
  
She stood there; straight, tall, proud, confident, and noble, every muscle was toned and ready for use. He simply stood there, his great hulking mass towering over her. Both wore an identical leer on their faces for the other's "feeble" attempts. He cracked his whip through the air; she raised the spear. The thongs got tangled around the spear staff. She yanked on the spear and the whip went flying, several pieces cut her, but she was too detached to notice, or even care if she had noticed.  
  
But they never got farther for another band of 40 orcs arrived, they came through the woods, right behind the last orc, the one she was facing, they then stopped. In the front was an orc that had blood on him, He must have gotten away and warned another band, are more bands coming? That was when despair first started to creep in, it got further when she heard noise behind her and turned to see a band of 20 orcs come at her from behind and stop. She couldn't fight and conquer 62 orcs!  
  
Despair had a good foothold in the door by now. But she prepared her self for her last stand, the one that she had to make. She would probably go down, but she would take a bunch down with her.  
  
The original orc sneered and said, "It'ssss finisheddd." He then started to go towards her. "NO." The word was a mental command, but so strong that the orc heard it clearly and he even stopped for a second. But he shook his head and continued. "NO." She spoke louder and more commanding this time. She stuck her sword in the ground, hilt up, and stuck her right hand out. Amazingly he stopped, he looked as if he was trying to move, but couldn't. The orcs that had been his rescuers moments before were also now stuck. Twe's eyes held an amazing cold glare.  
  
The NO 's rolled around them, echoing in their minds, the words of power binding them. Suddenly, Twe seemed brighter, as if the sun had peeked out and shone upon her, but it was night, and a new moon, it was suppose to be dark. The light grew and became brighter and whiter, and more painful to the orcs.  
  
The orcs tried to cover their faces, but couldn't. The same spell that held them immovable also rendered them as statues. They couldn't even close their eyes to the light. The light increased and doubled. It was augmented and amplified by her. The light tore the darkness form the orcs. It permeated their very being and tore what they had always known from them. It was a deathblow to the orcs. They had survived on the darkness, but now it was gone, and they were dying. The spell finally released them, but they could only writhe on the ground in pain.  
  
Heidi and Raph seemed to take no damage from this what so ever, it only helped them, their pain grew less and a small smile played on both their faces. But all 62 orcs died. But Twe seemed to take it hard too. She stood a moment longer, weaving, tired, and weak form loss of blood and stomach. She felt the sweat bead her forehead, armpits, and chest and back. She stood and the light quickly and quietly faded. She wove some more and finally fell next to Heidi and Raph, out cold before she hit the ground.  
  
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Guess who we meet next chapter? Think about it, Green wood (Mirkwood) Forest, major disaster, there is bound to be someone looking into it; for three bands of orcs, probably someone royal, hmmm.  
  
~Kit ;) 


	7. Legolas’s Story

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 7: Legolas' Story  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap. I have also forgotten to do the language thing in a couple places so I may go back and fix that, I don't know, but bear with me.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, in Mirkwood a man swung down from his horse. He looked to be in early 20's, but when he turned around you could tell he had been through a lot by the wrinkles in his face, and the bags under his eyes, and his dark brown hair that was turning grey. As he handed the reins to a stable hand he asked him, "What's going on? Why are all those elves moving in a clump along the street?" The man jerked his thumb behind him, pointing at a clump of elves moving quickly down a street. The boy started to talk excitedly, information bursting out of him. "Why, didn't you hear Mithrandir? A band of elves found 100 dead orcs in a clearing and they also found three bodies in the middle of all the carnage, 2 elves and one human, no one recognizes any of them. They're being taken to Thranduil now." Mtihrandir nodded his head in appreciation and walked towards the palace. He would find out more details there. (Mithrandir is Gandalf)  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Thranduil and Legolas sat on the chairs by the wall opposite the beds. They watched as the healers tend the cuts and bruises on the three people. Men healers worked on the boy and women healers tended the two girls. They were in a guest room that had three separate beds. On each one lay one of the three people found, al were stripped of their clothes, and being tended. They had placed clean underclothes on the girls and the boy. On the far left was the human girl; she had mid-upper arm length dark, brown hair and had a round, cherry face. She had a bump on her head and several cuts and bruises, but she would survive with little damage. The elvish boy occupied the middle bed. He was covered in lacerations and gashes, "He was scourged by an orc." Legolas told his father, "We found the whip," his face was grim and sober as he recalled that evil looking whip. On the far right was the elvish maiden. She also had some gashes like the boy, but certainly not as many. Her and the boy looked very alike. Their build, facial features, and hair color were all the same. Although he was more muscular, square, and had longer hair. And she was trim, but curvaceous, and she had short hair. They were like twins.  
  
The three had right now been placed on top of the covers, no matter if blood soaked through, it could be cleaned up; they needed help. Just then, Mithrandir burst in, "What's going on? I disappear for 6 months and you think that you can have adventures without me! How will I stick my nose into other people's matters?" his eyes twinkled at Thranduil and his private joke. But his face grew sober quickly, "Really Thranduil, what happened? Tell me everything." Thranduil gestured for him to sit in a chair next to him, and Mithrandir sank into a chair, he was dirty and tired form the ride, but still listened attentively to Thranduil.  
  
"Our people like to celebrate the full moon; one such group was celebrating when something happened. Legolas was with them," he nodded his head at Legolas. Legolas took the cue and continued while Mithrandir leaned forward to look at Legolas around his father. "Yes, I was there. Some were dancing and everyone else was sitting with him on the other side of the fire talking. But then we heard things in our minds. Now none of us can mind-talk. A couple of us are close to it, but don't quite have it yet. We heard, well, FELT feelings, there was just a couple of wisps at first; they seemed like someone's strong feelings nearby. They were broadcasting loudly and strongly since we felt wisps. There was debating, anger, trepidation, and despair. It was so strong, Mithrandir." Legolas looked at Mithrandir, troubled confusion in his eyes.  
  
"It was the one of the strongest mind-speeches I have ever felt. It was almost as strong as Elrond and Galadriel! Then there was anger, and bloodlust, all of us had stopped by now and were struggling to control the feelings that were pounding over us. It felt as if we were in a tide pool and an undertow was pulling us down, and no matter how many times we resurfaced. We got pulled down further and further each time, our blood started to boil with blood lust. And then, just as we were losing strength; suddenly, it all stopped! There were all the feelings of one who hears the footsteps of doom come upon them, upon us. But there was a single strand of courage amidst all that desolation, the strand grew and grew till it was a blanket covering all that despair. And yet, but it was is if you were drawing the lid on a box, the contents of the box were still there, but hidden and somewhat under control.  
  
"Then there was a command, simple yet very effective, NO. At that we all stopped, looking around, it was hard to move. Then we heard another NO, this time it was impossible to move. But we were so occupied with the NO's echoing around in our heads we hardly noticed. And then, well, I'll never forget what happened next Mithrandir.  
  
"There was light. Not an ordinary light, or torchlight or anything like that, but a, a.. Oh, I can't explain it, it was like a, a, HEALING light. The light came from the east. And it pierced us and examined us. There was face in that light, Mithrandir, a face that was beautiful, yet terrible, as if it was an angry lord coming for his payment. But he lord was a lady, but not even a lady, and mere girl. She examined every inch of us and cleansed all the evil from us. It was taken away, to where, I cannot say," Legolas shrugged his shoulder with helplessness. "But it was taken and I will never forget that moment when I felt all of the evil I had done, and wrongs covered up, exposed. They seemed so large, examined in the bright light coming from the face; the darkness seemed ten times worse in the light. But when they were taken away, I felt so clean. It was as if I had been covered in mud and had been washed and a pure white, clean garment had been given to me to put on. I felt as if I was anew."  
  
Legolas sagged against the back of the chair, trying to explain feeling and reliving the moment seemed to drain him for a second. But he continued, "The light went away and we stayed still for a long time, and then we all got up. We didn't need to discuss it, we all left to search for the unknown light source. We thought that perhaps it was the girl. We all headed east into theforest; after putting out the fire and cleaning up." He quickly added and glanced at his father. Thranduil nodded, complacent, and Legolas continued.  
  
"We came to a clearing, perhaps 30 miles away; dawn was just beginning to break. There was, well, how to explain it.." he wondered as he thought it over. Finally, "Let me show you, please help me," he looked at both of them. They nodded their heads and concentrated. Thranduil hooked up with Legolas's mind easier than Mithrandir did, but the father and son had practiced a lot. Yet Mithrandir still managed it with help from Legolas and Thranduil. Together the three relived Legolas's memory of that morning. The sun was peeping over the trees on the edge of the clearing and illuminated the scene. They all gasped at the sight.  
  
Orc bodies were lying everywhere, some were bloody and others weren't; swords were already in the hands of elves in the band; the elvish blades had glowed blue before they had reached the clearing. "Split up, and count the bodies." Legolas automatically fell into the position of leader, and the others followed his orders. "Spread out and count the bodies," Legolas ordered. Legolas himself started to count, but as he started he noticed something. He bent down to examine he face of an orc; the face was unnaturally calm and peaceful. He wondered if it had anything to do with what he elves felt. The count came in and there were 40 with blood on them, 60 clean, well as clean as an orc can be. But it appeared that 38 had died from the blood wound and 62 had died from other reasons.  
  
In the center of the clearing, Legolas found 3 bodies that weren't orcs. They were practically piled on top of one another. A human girl was on the bottom, she had some cuts and bruises but it looked like she would be fine. It looked like she was out from a knock on the head; she would wake up to a pounding headache and some twinges of pain, no more, no less.  
  
On top of her was the elvish boy, young, practically a baby by elven years; most likely in his teens, early teens, not hundred or thousand teens. He wasn't even sure if the elvish boy would wake up from the looks of him, but there was a faint heartbeat, and Legolas was reassured. There were cuts, lacerations, and blood all over him. He was not a very pretty sight and Legolas immediately called for bandages as soon as he saw him. The elves wrapped him up in some of the blankets they had brought to sit on. That stemmed the flow of blood somewhat, and it helped some scabs start to form.  
  
Near them, with her arms thrown over the boy and girl was another girl, but this one was elvish. She was lying face down, Legolas gently flipped her over and another gasp escaped his lips. This was the girl that he had seen! She was the face in the light! The other elves backed him up on this account.  
  
Her face was so pale, at first he thought she was dead, but when he touched his fingers to her throat and felt a heartbeat; weak, and alarmingly faint, but there; he was relieved. Then Legolas and five other elves gathered up the three on quickly made stretchers and headed for the palace. They arrived there just after midday. The rest of the elves remained to make piles of the orc bodies to be burned.  
  
Mtihrandir had seen the nine elves coming in, they had been surrounded by more elves that had joined as the group came up. Mithrandir frowned at a thought and asked Legolas, "Did you talk to the trees or search for tracks?" "Yes, but quickly since I wanted to make sure that these three arrived personally; and besides if anyone else took them they wouldn't be allowed into father, and they needed help quickly. The tracks told us that the three same form the northwest; they looked like they were following the orcs. Once they had aught up, they shed off the extra things, which we picked up," he pointed to the foot of each bed where there was their extra things. They then attacked the orcs; you know the rest. The trees were vague with detail as usual, but supported that story up. But I have a good friend heading up the search for more detailed information now."  
  
"But Mithrandir," Thranduil asked the wizard, "can you help us? We know the human was knocked out and will come too soon; she started to wake up several times on the way back, but fell back into unconsciousness from what Legolas has said. The boy was obviously knocked out from lack of blood; he'll heal. But the elvish girl we don't know what's wrong with her. We can treat her body, but she has seemed to withdrawn into herself." His eyebrows furrowed. "There are no major cuts on her, sure some here and there, but most of the blood on her was orc blood. Her sword was thirsty today," he nodded his head at the pile of her bloody clothes sitting in a pile on the floor at the foot of her bed. The other's clothes were in the same place.  
  
"Can you figure out what's wrong with her?" Legolas pleaded with Mtihrandir. The wizard stood up, and both the king and prince's eyes followed the Istari's movements. Mithrandir slowly walked over to the foot of the girl's bed and looked at her. She was fit and strong by the look of it. She was also an archer by the pad of skin on her finger, a callus from firing arrows constantly; and the lashes on her cheek and arm from a twanging bowstring. Her face was pale and the cuts on her stomach, legs, arms, and even a couple on her face stood out even more; but none were that bad, "What is wrong child?" Mithrandir tried to talk to her mind, but there was no response.  
  
The healers discreetly left, their job done, they couldn't do any more for the unknown people. Legolas and Thranduil got up and watched the wizard anxiously. Mithrandir walked to the side of the bed and knelt next to her. He closed his eyes and took her left hand in his left and put his right hand on her forehead. He then concentrated, he focused on entering that withdrawn mind, and he wondered as he did, What am I getting into now?  
  
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Well, are they going to be okay or not? Will they die and bring in others with their deaths? Or live? What is going to happen!? Well, read on! But review first!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	8. Mind to Mind and Face to Face

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 8: Mind to Mind and Face to Face  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap. Oh, and I am saying that a pace is about 2 feet or 2/3 of a meter, so 50 paces would be 100 feet or 33 1/3 meters.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Mithrandir wandered through the girl's brain; he was struck by how organized it was. Most human minds are disorganized places, not very collected, with random thoughts and memories floating about or popping up. Elvish minds were much more meticulously neat, maybe it was because elves had thousands of years to get them that way. But this one was like both elvish and human minds, by the fact that it was a place; put together from places that they have thought up, or been to, or heard of. This one, like all the other switched, it was a forest originally, then a palace, than her village, then a library. HE quickly stopped the mind at this image; it would be easier to riffle though books or memories than leaves or tiles of memories. He had been in people's minds quite a few times before now; about 10 he thought it was. But he had never seen one so organized, well, two, but they were high elves, alive for thousands of years. But there was something different about this girl, like a mixing of two things he had seen before.  
  
He decided to mull it over later and continued on, first was to find out who this girl was and about her, and the quicker he got done and out the less the effects would be. He had found out quickly that the longer you were in someone's mind, the more weak and worn you were afterwards. He found the girl's name, Tiwena, or Twe. She had a twin, Raphael, or Raph, she had tons memories attached to him and as Mithrandir riffled through them, catching glimpses of each, he realized that the boy on the middle bed was Raphael. He wandered though more, he found out the girl was Heidi. He found memories of Heidi and Raph together, he thought that this might be useful and decided to live the memory.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Twe was walking down a dirt path in some woods, she was swinging some rope that she had gotten and was going to a favorite tree of theirs and was to meet Raph and Heidi there and there were going to make a swing with it. She was about 100 paces away when she sensed Raph, and his thoughts. Why is Raph's thoughts happy, extremely happy, and love in them too, what was going on? She hurried and about 50 paces from the tree saw Raph and Heidi, they didn't see her for which she was extremely glad.  
  
They were obviously miles away, in each a land where only the other was. Heidi was sitting in Raph's lap and she had leaned her had back to look at him when he bent his head down and kissed her. She brought her arms up and pulled his head closed, her tightened his arms around her. Twe stood there, shocked, she knew that the two had liked each other, but this was the first time she had seen it. Her shields had automatically gone up and none of her confused thoughts reached her brother. She quickly turned and ran fleetingly away.  
  
That night she had gone to a boy's house; his name was Keavan. He had like Twe for a long time, but Twe had always smiled and blown away all thoughts of love, now she thought about him. She had snuck out of her room, an easy feat since she slept with Heidi, who could sleep through a cataclysm, but sneaking past her brothers' room was harder, he slept light and might hear her light footsteps, she was very careful though and got out.  
  
Once she got to Keaven's she had snuck in and woken him up. He looked sleepy for a minute, but woke up quickly when he realized it was Twe. "Twe what are y-" She clapped a hand over his mouth, and put a finger to her mouth "Shhh. you want to wake everyone up?" she whispered in his ear. "Fine, but why are you here? What's wrong?" He whispered back. "Kev." then stopped she didn't know what to say, "Kev." but stopped and this time just leaned into him and tilted her head up to kiss him, he hesitated for a moment but kissed her, she was surprised as he slid his tongue into her mouth, at first she was ready to pull away, and give up trying to figure out what made Raph and Heidi so attached, and was ready to keep the empty place in her life, when he brought his arms around her and pulled her close to him.  
  
She was stronger and could have pulled away, plus she didn't think Kev would hold here against her will, but she stayed. She stayed the night, but she had strong shields placed around those memories and Mithrandir didn't really want to see that night anyway, and after Kev was asleep, she gave his jaw a caress and then got up, she wrote him a note with a piece of coal from last night's fire on a piece of wood and then pulled on her clothes gave him a final look and left.  
  
She had gotten back to the house, packed some thing s and left Peranell a note saying she had left for a week of solitude camping, and that she wanted to be alone for a while, so could Heidi and Raph not come? Raph and Heidi put up little resistance since it meant more time alone form them. But Kev did come up, she had told him in her note, and the two spent many days together, but Kev was to leave the day before Twe was due to return back to the village. Kev was going to volunteer at a fort, he was to become a soldier and fighter, a warrior, and he would. Twe had purposely planned it that way, she didn't let herself fall in love with Kev, it was an experiment and she didn't want to fall into love and get married or anything silly like that, she still wanted her life man free. So Kev left and she got over what love she had felt for him.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Suddenly it hit him what it was that she reminded him of, the next second he stumbled over the memory of her mother's birth. It was certainly an elf, that's for sure, and the way her thoughts were organized and what she and her brother could do. They were half elvish, half wizard! Wait, he looked at her face again and thought, Who does she remind me of? Who does Raph remind me of? Suddenly it hit him like a falling mountain, ALATAR! They must be the results of that dream he thought he had, must not have been a dream after all. He thought ironically. When he looked at Raph, he could rally see the resemblance, Twe tended to resemble her mother more, she had the red brown hair of her father, even the streaks of blond and black that ran through it was there. She obviously had his love for the fighting skills as well, while Raph got his mother's peaceful feelings.  
  
Mithrandir quickly turned away and went back to her foster mother, her name was Peranell, and Mithrandir stopped riffling though the memories when he came to Peranell's death. This memory stuck out a mile with it's vivid colors and strong emotions, it also looked she had relived this one many times.  
  
He then found out why she had left the village and fought the orcs. He followed along the chain of memories until he came to what he was looking for. The light memory, this was what he wanted. He carefully went through the memory and re-through again and again. He finally found out what she had done. Her instincts had told her to do it, it had no name, no procedure, and no precautions. He knew the name for it, how to do it, and how to do it safely. Well, safe enough, you could never do a light cleansing without backlash, and she had put a lot into that spell.  
  
And now she was suffering from major backlash. She had let out a lot of energy; he knew that when he realized that it had reached Legolas 30 some miles away. But she had tapped sources she never even knew she had to let out that much and when she tried to stop it, the doors were wide open, and the energy had no where to go, it banged around here for quite a while, probably still is.  
  
But now all that energy is banging around and she doesn't have enough to control it or to stop it. And with her putting all energy to keeping it inside herself and not letting it burst out, she is draining her life source and it that isn't brought into control soon, she will die!  
  
Mithrandir was struck, he put back all the memories he had taken and went in search of the rouge power, and perhaps he could help. He soon found it; it was a terrific fight. But he wanted the fight to stop, so he tried to erect barricades to help Twe, but his barricades were weak and only prolonged her death. The only way to stop it was to use all of his energy to help her, and then he would be the one in the fix and she would be fine, but would have any idea of how to help him. So he left his feeble barricades and left, he would come back and help her.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Another man reached the same stable that Mithrandir had reached earlier and hopped off the horse. He also looked about 20, but had the same telltale signs of action. His shoulder length black ebony hair and goatee had streaks of white in it, while he had eyes that told of knowledge and wrinkles that told of action and adventure. He tossed the reins to the boy, "Know where Mithrandir is?" he asked the boy, "Headed up to the palace, think he wanted to see Thranduil, Curunir." The boy answered, "Thanks," Curunir said simply and left, rushing to the palace.  
  
Once he got to the room, he was in an anger fit and breathing hard from running, "THRANDUIL!" he yelled not noticing anything else as he let rage win him over, "TELL THESE BLAST WITTED ELVES THAT I AM NOT AN ENEMY!" he roared at Thranduil one hand pointing out into the corridor where some elves in guard uniform stood, spears leveled at Curunir. "He isn't an enemy." Thranduil simply told the elves, they looked skeptic but raised the spears and trotted away. "NEXT TIME YOU GET NEW GAURDS TELL ME AND I WILL PERSONALLY INTRODUCE MYSELF TO THEM SO THAT THIS HOGWASH DOESN'T NEED OT HAPPEN AGAIN!" Curunir kept roaring. "He has a point Thranduil," Mithrandir said simply, his had was held up by an arm as he drooped over the bed, tried from the mind to mind search. (By the way, Curunir is Saruman)  
  
"GANDALF!" Curunir glanced around and saw everyone wincing, "Sorry, Mithrandir, what are you doing here?" "Same as you I guess, but I haven't got around t it yet, these three-" he waved his hand at the three still forms, "have kept me busy."  
  
"What? I'm lost, explain." So Mithrandir did, in detail. Once all was explained, Mithrandir said, "She had about a couple hours left before, she'll have about a day now. So we either help her now, with me drained, or wait a day for me to get up strength and the barricades I put up have come crashing down." Curunir thought quickly and said, "We do it as soon as you are up to strength." Then Curunir looked at the three for the first time. He looked at the human, pretty, but she had taken little damage, form what Mithrandir said, she had been on the defense and not on the offense. Next came the boy, Raphael, I like him, he seems to be friendly and fit, and he has his mother's peaceful nature and his father's fiery one, but hidden deeper. Mithrandir had only told Curunir who the twin's parents were.  
  
Then he came to Tiwena, and stopped, but his heartbeat came faster and faster. She's. beautiful. he lost all sense of his thoughts as he stared at her, Mithrandir slipped on his elbow and hit Curunir's hand in the process, in a tight thought he sent, "You're sending, get a grip!" Curunir put up shield and continued to dwell on her. He turned back to look at her. She only wore a breast band and a loincloth. Her stomach was flat, and her muscles were toned, fit, and ready to go. The only problem was that she was losing to an inner battle within herself. He almost lazily noticed a cut that went from her left armpit to the bottom of the right side of her ribcage. He caught himself wondering about the middle part of that wound and what surrounded it.  
  
He quickly switched to examining the other cuts and bruises she had managed to get. Her hands showed calluses from being a sword fighter and a pad on her finger from being an archer. She also had the cut from the ends of the whiplashes on her left shoulder from the whip of that orc that Mithrandir had talked about. He felt anger rise in himself at that orc that had hurt her. He hadn't understood why Twe would swear a vendetta against the orcs that had killed her foster mother. But if he felt the anger he had for someone who had just HURT Twe, and someone had KILLED her foster mother. He understood now.  
  
"Tomorrow?" he asked Mithrandir, who nodded. Curunir turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, Legolas started to go after him, but Mithrandir held him back, "No, let him be by himself for now, he'll come back when he wants company." Mithrandir knew his friend all to well, he saw and heard the feelings that Curunir had for Twe, and he wasn't sure how well this was going to go. He knew that the other two elves hadn't heard Curunir's thoughts; Mithrandir and Curunir were too well known to each other.  
  
With his thoughts turning over and over in his mind, he went to get up and failed, Legolas helped him up and to his room, where he lay down and later a servant came in and gave him food. But Mithrandir hardly noticed; he was trying to think up problems that may arise tomorrow and what to do. But his thoughts kept turning back to Curunir's reaction to Tiwena, and what he should do, well, it will probably pass, this has happened to Curunir before, where he thinks he has fallen head over heels in love and he hadn't. I should break this off now before some other girl gets her heart broken by Curunir. He sighed. We need this girl and her brother, this can't be broken up by some love relationship, we need all the Istari we can get. But how can I break Curunir from this latest fantasy, he done this to many times before now, I don't want to deal with another sad girl. He finally settled into an uneasy, but helpful sleep.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
So, will Twe die and Curunir be heart broken, so some other woman can heal his heart? Or will Twe be the woman of his dreams? Don't you wonder? Well review and read on, PLEASE!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	9. Midnight Meetings and Midnight Fights

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 9: Midnight Meetings and Midnight Fights  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A couple rooms away, Curunir shows no signs of sleep. He had lain down and the candles were out, but he was far from sleep. He couldn't get the face from his mind, no matter how much he pushed or pulled or tried to blank his thoughts or shield them or just forget about her; she was always there. Finally he gave up and went to see the girl.  
  
Curunir stalked through the hallways, silent as a cat. He had learned quickly that if he wanted to go unnoticed than he had better learn to move silently, and the elves are the best teachers for that. If all else failed, he would use words, they had never failed him before, and he was able to make his voice go loud or soft, conjoaling or criticizing, happy or sad.  
  
He slipped noiselessly into the room and want over to Twe's bed; she really is beautiful, he though as he sat next to her bed in a chair and stared at her. The moonlight was filtering in through tree leaves and it cast a soft glow on her. Someone had covered her up with a blanket and the others too, he realized. But his attention quickly returned to Twe, he held her hand in his, it was cold, so he rubbed it and took up the other one to rub it too. The he places then gently under the covers.  
  
He looked at her, there was yearning and confusion in his face, he had never felt this way before, and he didn't know what to do. He slowly and hesitantly leaned down. Her lips were round, full, and beautiful. He wondered it they were soft. "Please let me kiss you, beautiful elf." He pleaded. Then he bent down and touched his lips o hers, a soft tingle seemed to course it's way along his body from his lips. He did it again, a bit harder and again, each time the soft tingles grew stronger until his whole body was tingling. He suddenly got up and gave Twe a last longing look and darted away, still silent.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
In her wanderings between the fights with dark something, Twe met Keavan again. She had been fighting many things many times, each time she seemed to grow weaker and weaker. But suddenly Keavan was there with no warning. He came up to her and seemed to ask in his mind, "Please let me kiss you, beautiful elf." She simply stood there; he gave her lips three kisses, light ones, almost like a butterfly kiss. But the kisses sent tingles coursing through her body. She gathered strength and courage from the tingles, and she wanted to cry out to Keavan, "No don't go!" But couldn't, suddenly he was suddenly gone and she was alone, sadder but stronger. She turned and her vigor had reawakened, and she fought the daemons, orcs, enemies, and shadows she couldn't see with more vigor than ever, grateful for those kisses.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The next morning, when Mithrandir got up, he found Curunir in a garden, oddly quiet. "What is it Curunir?" he walked slowly over to Curunir, worried. "Nothing," Curunir said simply, he didn't fool either of them. He stood with his back to Mithrandir, feet apart and hands clasped behind his back, "I've don't know what to do Olorin." He said quietly, the whisper was almost lost in the noises from nature. Mithrandir could tell he was serious by dropping out of the use of the name of the people around them and falling into the use of his western name. "I know I have gone out with a lot of girls and slept with a whole lot more, but I have never felt this way ever before." He ended on a rising note; Mithrandir realized he was bewildered and lost.  
  
Mithrandir looked at him closely. He was pale, and had bags under his eyes; he hadn't slept much, if at all. His hands couldn't stay still and were twisting around in each other, his brows were creased in puzzlement, and he seemed to ask Mithrandir a dozen questions that Mithrandir couldn't even begin to understand. Mithrandir had pity and doubt; he pitied Curunir for feeling this way and doubted his beliefs last night that this was merely some fantasy and not real.  
  
"Mithrandir! Curunir!" They heard Legolas' smooth voice calling to them, suddenly Mithrandir saw Legolas at the garden's entrance. "Are you ready, it is almost time?" Legolas asked. "We'll be there in a second, don't worry Legolas, we'll meet you there." Olorin knew that Legolas could read the tension that Curunir was feeling in Curunir's back. Legolas nodded and left.  
  
"Does she really mean that much to you?" Olorin asked his friend. "Yes." Came a breathy reply. Olorin was at a loss of words for that. "Well, we should, um. well, lets just put it to the side for now, can you focus?" Mithrandir worriedly asked. "Curunir nodded and turned around, his face hidden, with a slight smile on his lips you didn't notice the bags, paleness, or confusion in the eyes.  
  
The two turned and left, Curunir and Mithrandir walking side-by-side, ready to take what was coming to them. When they first left the garden, Curunir managed to reasonably assure himself that it was all a special moment feeling, a slight infatuation, and was gone now. But as he grew nearer and nearer to Tiwena, he grew more and more aware of the fact she was near to him and he began to sweat, he clenched his hands into fists and held his back straighter.  
  
When they entered the room, both Thranduil and Legolas were struck by the power surrounding them; it seemed to be both a glow, and a presence in the mind and the posture they held. They seemed to be tall, kind, lords descending from a circle of light, stars seemed to shine on their foreheads and their hands and their elven robes whispered of the winds of nature and the elvish words on the robes were there but when you went to focus on them they were gone, but you could always see them out of the corner of your eye.  
  
The two didn't speak or look at the elves, the two moved aside to part the way for the Istari from across the sea. Mithrandir went to Tiwena's left side and Curunir to her right. They both took up her hand and put the other hand on her forehead and simply stood there. Their eyes were closed and their muscles lax, but still tension seemed to fill the air. Seconds seemed to pass for the elves, the halos around the Istari seemed to flux and flutter then drain into the elvish girl. When the halo was very dim the wizards opened their eyes and stared into one anther's eyes. They then gently set her hands back down and stepped back; the next second they slumped onto the floor.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
As soon as the two entered Twe's mind, Curunir sent to Mithrandir, "Your right Mith, her mind is very organized". Mith sent back, "This is the library scene where I left, there's a door over there Cur, lets try that way." Mith gestured towards a door at one end of the library. Cur frowned, "No, for some reason something tells me it's that way," he gestured to the opposite end of the room, a blank wall. Mith raised his eyebrows but said nothing; "We can at least check it out, right?" Cur asked him, "Sure" came the reply.  
  
When they reached the wall, Cur went up and tapped on the wall, nothing happened. "Should we try the door?" Mith asked, but suddenly the scene changed, they were no longer in a library but in a forest, they were on a medium sized dirt beaten track that wound its' way through a wood. "Which way?" Mith asked Cur. Cur turned around and around, finally he said, "I get a tingling feeling when I face the way that I wanted to go in the library, a vibrating when I face the way you wanted to go, and a slight hum when I face to either side between the two directions." Cur looked at Mith helplessly.  
  
"What way makes you feel the most happy, or safest?" Mith asked, Cur thought some more. "Your way is pulling me stronger, as if something in me wants me to go that way. But my way seems to pull at me less strongly and at my feelings, not my mind like the other way." Cur shrugged, "I can't explain very well what I feel." Mith stared at Cur hard, finally he said, "We don't have time to make the wrong choice, Twe is probably running out of strength and thus time. We need to make the right decision." He stared at Cur some more, tried to unravel the feelings that Cur got and he didn't. "We'll go your way." And they started off.  
  
They rounded a bend in the corner, and saw a waterfall that was still some ways away but they could hear a voice through the pounding of water on rock. The voice was not a stunning voice, but an okay voice. But it managed to convey the power, strength, ability, and nature of the person who owned it. Mith simply nodded, it was the voice he remembered from Twe memories, her own voice. But Cur stopped dead still, listening intently, "Is that her?" He asked Mith. "Yes, now come on. I don't know why she's singing but we need to keep going; from the looks of it, the waterfall is a ways away."  
  
But either distance is distorted by Twe's mind or she switched the landscape again, because they had merely rounded the bend up ahead when they saw her. They both stopped this time, shock ed at what they saw.  
  
She was standing by the edge of the water, her back to them. She seemed to be watching the waterfall. Her hair was down this time and not held up by the topknot, the wind seemed to blow it every which way, and even whip it in her face, but she didn't seem to notice. But he big thing was that she was naked. All she had on was a flame or leaf like thing seemed to wind it's way around her. It looked like it would fall off at her slightest movement, it looked so loose, but it stuck fast to her, covering her chest and her hips. The colors switched and blending into other patterns. First it was a forest color, all greens and brown, then a white strand appeared in the center on the garment and worked it's way outward, pushing all the greens and browns out, now it was white with ice blue and lavender edges, now it was of the purples, blues, and reds of a sunset.  
  
Suddenly she turned around, She stood tall, her weight balance equally on each foot, ready to spring into action. Her hands were hanging at her sides, the fingers were open, and relaxed. She looked directly at them and her eyes bore into them. To say they were different would be putting it mildly. The pupils were white with a black edge that blended into the white. She seemed to look into both of their eyes at the same time. The scene changed yet again, now they seemed to be among the stars, standing on a pathway of stars. Even though they were taller, she towered over them, her garment switching colors. Now it was a fiery conflagration, a light shone form her, she seemed to be the sun, explosions of light seemed to erupt from her. She was a light bearer, she gave off light, it burned into the wizards eyes; but they did not close their eyelids, move their arms to cover their faces, or even squint. Suddenly in their minds there boomed a voice, "WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?"  
  
They were shocked by this loud voice coming from this elvish girl. It held the same Mith came out of the trance first. "We are Istari, wizards. We have come to help you." He tried to tell her. "WHY WOULD WIZARDS CARE ABOUT ONE PERSON WHOM THEY HAVE NEVER MET BEFORE? HOW DID YOU GET HERE?" Mith wanted to shrink back, that voice was so intimidating, it was so potent with power and every word seemed to leave an after image in firs in his head.  
  
Cur simply stared at her, she was so entrancing to him. She was beauty, grace, strength, power, and courage all rolled up into one woman. Every thing that she owned seemed to be the pure essence of something, nothing was diluted or only half there, she was perfect. Suddenly he thought of a saying he had once heard or read somewhere, No one is perfect until you fall in love with them. The thought scared him, Am I falling in love? Are those the feelings I have? He immediately put all his thoughts and feeling for this woman in front of him, behind his inmost shields. His thoughts were guarded by shield upon shield, within each layer had thoughts. Only in the inner most, where his very being dwelt did he hide his most important and sacred thoughts. He hid the feelings there and kept his face blank.  
  
Twe's eyes bore into the two men in front of her. "OPEN UP TO ME." Mith had become the spokesperson of their band of two, and turned to Cur. "Cur?" He simply asked, "No Mith, I have to many thoughts that can't be seen." Cur stepped back. Twe was still staring at them. Mith turned back to her, "What about just me, my companion has seen and heard many things that can't be divulged to anyone." He again tried to tell her, but she remained silent. Mith turned to Cur, "We need to help her Cur! She may have wizard blood, we're few enough as it i-" but Mith was broken off by an attack.  
  
It really was amazing at how low of an energy that she was that she could still penetrate their thoughts. She sent two thought spear at their minds, she pierced each shield, once she was in, she proceeded to go through everything in less than a second, she had penetrated all their shields, even to their inner most ones. But she seemed to know which thoughts were private and which she could and did look at.  
  
Both Istari staggered backwards. The attack on their minds taking up all their focus, but in a single second, she had penetrated, gone through, and had extricated herself from their minds. FINE, FOLLOW ME. Without either of them having noticed, the scene had changed once again.  
  
"Doesn't she ever get sick of changing the scenes?" Cur groaned at Mith, both of who were still recovering from the attack. Twe simply silently slipped through the forest. Her garment was now back to a green silver gray brown color, they were in woods again. "These trees look familiar." Mith said, trying to place them. "Look like trees to me." Cur said, standing up and breathing deeply. "Let's go, we're going to lose her." Mith followed the retreating back of Cur, but continued to look around him; suddenly it hit him.  
  
"Cur! Cur! These are Greenwood trees! Were in Thranduil's forest! She must be going back to the fight!" He hurriedly told Cur. "Wait, wait a second." Cur said holding up his hands as if to ward off an attack from Mith. "What? We're in the Greenwood? So what does that mean?" Cur shrugged, "one forest is the same as another, why does it matter what forest we're in?" Mith looked downcast at this point, "I don't know, but it maybe significant, maybe, maybe it could be nothing, I don't know."  
  
They then caught up with Twe, they were looking at her back yet again, and she was staring at the clearing where she had earlier knocked out a lot of orcs. There was practically an army on the other side.  
  
It was a hodge-podge army, a mixture of many things and creatures. There were orcs who held heavy looking black metal swords, daemons in the disguise of clouds of smoke and different colors and feelings, none of them good, angry looking people who held any number of things from swords and bows to pitch forks and brooms, mean dwarves wielding wicked looked axes, twisted, tortured looking trees, some on fire, and behind it all was a shadow, a big, dark black shadow. Twe stood there and waited, staring at the army across the clearing. The creatures looked restless, swinging weapons and sometimes hitting each other, but not caring.  
  
The two wizards stared, disbelieving at the army. Twe spoke to them, hiding the power that she had showed t them in their first meeting to intimidate them, she spoke normally now. "When I first fell down after sending out that light, they were here. I fought them and they retreated. They were once much larger, but I have taken many of them down, but have lost much doing it. Each time they retreat, but it costs me more and more for that retreat, I recoup each time, but I fear that this will be my last fight." They could not sense fear in her thoughts, but simply grim determination and fact.  
  
"We are here to help you this time Twe, we will not let you fall." Cur felt silly for trying to reassure her, she was perfectly able to take care of herself and didn't look like she needed reassurance. But Twe turned her head to the side and looked at Cur, slowly a smile grew form the cruel and bleak line. Her eyes seemed to sparkle and dance in the small joy that companionship brought and her smile was a wistful, I-wish-it-were-so kind of smile.  
  
She turned her face and she was once again a stern and unmovable pillar. She was like a statue of a war goddess; ready, focused, and waiting for the battle that was sure to come. Mith couldn't help but wonder, What would this be like if she was trained? He gave a small harrumph, and the thought continued, If she were trained we wouldn't be here! He then focused his thought on the battle ahead.  
  
The two sides stared at each other. The clearing separated the two warring factions. One had bloodthirsty orcs, men, dwarves, trees, and a bleak darkness that was foretelling a grim and total defeat fro his soon-to-be triumphant side. The other side only held three people. Two wizards stood straight and tall, proud and confident, both seemingly very young and strong, but having the wisdom of many years in their eyes and minds. And in the middle a single girl, clothed in a flowing and looses leaf-like cloth. Mith sized up each side, Each of us has determination and courage, both had magic, and both had strength. And all of this over a single 16- year-old girl!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, this sounds familiar, the calm before the storm, yet ANOTHER battle! But this one also has surprising results, I assure you. Well, r/r and move on along!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	10. The Battle and The Effects

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 10: The Battle and The Effects  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They all stood they for a while, staring at each other. Suddenly everything broke loose. The three stood there but everyone else rushed at them. Suddenly, Mith found himself in the middle of a battle, dodging weapons and hitting people with shoots of light from his hands. He ducked, dodged, rolled, kicked, and hit. It seemed as if the press of creatures around him would never end, not matter how many her knocked out, there were always more. Mith sensed that the press was slighter to his right, he yelled sent the other two his thoughts, they agreed; and they all started to hack their ways through the press.  
  
Curunir had kept Twe in his sight the whole time, suddenly a cave troll came between Twe and him, he hacked at it till it fell, and he clambered over it's huge hulk. Suddenly he felt dread clutching at his stomach, where was Twe? He didn't see here anywhere! Suddenly he saw her flaming garment fro a flash of a second, but I t was enough, he jumped down and ran to where she had fallen. She was struggling to get out form under an orc that lay on top of her.  
  
He ran over and yanked on the orc, bit by bit it moved. Finally Twe lay there on the ground, her flame colored garment was blotted out in some places by the orc blood, but she didn't look like she was bleeding. Cur dumped the orc to the side and turned back to Twe, she tried to get up, but suddenly she clutched her stomach and groaned, "I think I've broken some ribs." She told him. He immediately bent down and grabbed her under the arms and hauled her up. Mith could only hold off the creatures for so long, they needed to get up and in the clear.  
  
Holding Twe up with one arm and holding others off with another, Cur walked towards Mith, suddenly he stumbled over an orc, and they both went down, Twe crying out from the pain, "She must have broken a lot of her ribs." Mith told Cur in his mind. Unexpectedly, Mith was there, he swooped up Twe and blasted his way through the crowd, Cur managed to get up and stumble after him, knocking several creatures out on his way. Cur felt his side; he felt liquid and fire there. There was blood running down his side, some one must have swiped him with a spear. He clutched his side and continued on.  
  
He wasn't sure whether he was out of the crowd or the crowd had been killed off, he had killed so many creatures he felt like he had been doing this forever. He looked around and saw that only Mith, Twe, and himself, plus that blackness were left, everyone else was down.  
  
Then Mith set Twe on her feet, and gently backed up, leaving her standing there. Cur shook the fuzziness form his eyes and staggered up to Mith, "What are you doing? She's hurt! That darkness will kill her off!"  
  
Mith simply and quietly turned and looked at Cur. "Is your memory so little that you cannot remember the time when all of us had to do this? Do you not remember the time when we had to let each face the darkness within himself and conquer it? Do you not remember that final test that made us Istari? We were sent to make sure she got to that stage, not help her through it, either she conquers it or she doesn't." Mithrandir's eyes were strangely hard, yet soft. They must have been steely, but the tears gathering there contested it.  
  
Cur stood here, hand still pressed to his side. He concentrated on his side and kept the blood flow down, and it finally stopped. He focused even more and the skin healed over. He then put all of his attention on Tiwena. Olorin had properly chastised him, he would watch. But watching brought back painful memories; memories he would rather forget, but couldn't.  
  
Twe stood there, a small girl, her garment started to some afire again, and her hair starting to whip in the growing wind. The darkness simply waited, a towering wall of blackness, whose very corona was black, not even a reflection, it seemed to absorb light. The two stood there, woefully outmatched by Curunir's guess. Mithrandir mealy keep his face forward, but his attention dwelt on a time when 6 good friends had been in the undying lands, a time when they had to pass their final test, the test to overcome them selves. He remembered her, Faethalion "Strong Spirit", she was the 6th wizard in training. She had always been the strong one, the first to conquer her emotions, the first to master all weapons, and the first to help you up when you fell, for it seemed as if she never fell or stumbled. She was so strong, she would have been the 6th Istari, but she had failed. A failure that was her downfall, when she fell, she did not stumble, but plummeted, even in her fall, she had to go the whole way. The darkness within herself had consumed her; her shrieking cries had echoed in their minds for years afterwards.  
  
The Valar said that they might be able to heal her, but they did not promise. The Istari had to leave, with or without their 6th companion. Mithrandir wanted to run to Tiwena, to shield her form what could possibly kill her, but something stronger held him back, a will much greater than his held him back.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
As Twe stood facing the darkness, there was only one thought on her mind, What am I suppose to do now? It had been clear before, a clear enemy; the orcs. But now she couldn't think of anything better, so she just stood there. And she hoped that some great idea would come to mind. The darkness stayed there too, unmoving, and swirling mass of black clouds and darkness. Twe gulped, the darkness seemed to be a wall, a very STRONG and invulnerable wall. Twe almost stepped back, she wanted to get away from the horrifying darkness. But somehow, her inner self resurfaced. She was getting to know the way there quite well by now. First that place had led her to let forth all the energy and kill the orcs, then it had kept giving her reserves of energy to contain the energy, now it gave her the last reserve of energy she had, she would need to make it last.  
  
The stare down had begun. But almost without her knowing it, and light was leaking from Twe. It was a thin, gold and silver mist. It spread out and rose up and the center became an almost painful white. The center seemed to crystallize and throw the sun light off into small rainbows, which only added to her growing cloud of light. Soon Twe's cloud was as big as the dark cloud. The two stood there for a second, but then started to slide across the ground, moving towards each other.  
  
Then they clashed. There was utter silence, but the two clouds hurled at each other. The tendrils of mist wrapped around each other, trying to subdue the other. For a while the two adversaries were at a stalemate, they wrestled with each other, both equal. But then a dark beam shot through the warring haze straight towards Twe. It hit Twe full in the chest. Twe's head jerked backwards, thrown into a whiplash buy the force of the beam's strength. The beam dragged Twe slowly through the light, into the gray and then into the black.  
  
All the while Twe's body shook with convulsions and thrashings as she tried to escape the darkness that clutched at her. She screamed, it was a high, shrill scream; it cut thorough the silence, and hit Curunir and Mithrandir like a ton of bricks. The scream brought back painful memories rater left forgotten, but could never be. A small halo of light was held around Twe, but as soon as she got into the jet-black, the halo flicked, grew dim, and died; the Istari could not see Twe anymore.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"NOOOOO!!!" Curunir lunged at the mists, of which the light side was quickly dissolving. But Mithrandir lunged forward and grabbed him. "No, you can't Cur!" Curunir struggled with Mithrandir, but held as he was by Mithrandir's grasp, he couldn't escape. "NOO! LET ME GO! I NEED TO GO TO HER OLORIN! SHE'S IN TROUBLE, I MUST HELP HER!" Suddenly his wild tone dropped to a rough voice, cracked with pain, "Do you want her to die as Faethalion did?" Curunir glared at Mithrandir. He knew that Mithrandir had been in love with Faethalion. "Do you?" his mind voice was a deathly whisper now, cold and as hard as steel.  
  
Mithrandir was ready to loosen his grip, when a voice spoke in his head, "No, do not let him go Olorin. Tiwena must face this on her own, she must face her darkest fears by herself if she is to become an Istari." The voice was a powerful voice, but as you know a cat is a powerful cat. The muscles rippled with contained, controlled, and manipulated power, just as this voice did. But the voice spoke not so much in words as in thoughts, a mixture between words, pictures, feelings, and impulses.  
  
Mithrandir tightened his grip and closed his mind to Curunir's deceiving voice. Curunir's gift was words, he could read at an amazing rate, retain it all, and could talk a troll out of it's hoard if he had too. But the tears leaking down Mithrandir's cheeks told Curunir more than his hard eyes did. Mithrandir wanted to go to her, he wanted to stop her to keep her form the death he was sure was moments away.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The present was over laid with a view of the past. The 5 Istari were standing next to each other, backs straight and tall, waiting. They waited for their self-appointed leader, Faethalion. She was the first to undergo the test. She had also stood her ground against the darkness, but her foe had been a dark warrior, bones of his enemies slung about him, jangling at his every movement. The hollow sound of bone on bone and the crunch of metal shod footsteps, and the bloody broadsword was enough to send shivers down all of the watchers backs.  
  
But Faethalion stood tall. She crossed her wrists above her head and a light spread from the cross-formed by her arms. The light grew and formed another warrior. This one was as tall as the dark one and it also covered Faethalion. The two warriors stopped and sized one another up, then as if in agreement, they lunged. The two were in battle for a while, no one could tell how long, but all of the sudden, the dark warrior dropped his blade and pierced the armor of Faethalion's knight with his fist.  
  
Faethalion shrank back, but the fist opened and grabbed her throat. He pulled at her, the armor dissipated into thin air and only her throat and the strong armor coved arm held Faethalion several feet from the ground. Fae kicked at the man, but everything within reach was covered in armor. Then the arm drew into itself, the arm seemed to pull in, and the armhole grew wide to accept Fae. The fingers must have loosened enough just as Fae entered, because she let out one last final piercing shriek before she disappeared into the armor.  
  
The 5 were immediately trying to get to Fae, but the Valar held them back. The Valar's eyes held pity and sorrow, but they would not help nor let the others held Faethalion. Mithrandir had fought the hardest. He had sprang at the Valar again and again, and finally collapsed at their feet, bruised, broken, and in pain. Mithrandir was curled up in a fetal position, the picture of Faethalion disappearing into the black armor lingering on his mind. For years afterwards, he would wake up, his cheeks wet with tears, his throat and eyes raw from crying out, and the single phrase, I'm sorry on his lips. Faethalion's voice haunted him forever.  
  
When the Valar had picked up Fae after the dark armor dissipated as well, her body was broken. It was contorted in ways that the human body was never meant to be in, and that even Fae's flexibleness couldn't form.  
  
The next day they had left the undying lands, partially to get away form the place where Faethalion had finally been broken.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Curunir's body was wracked with sobs by now, "Tiwena, Tiwena." Mithrandir let him down and gently put him on the ground, Curunir curled up into the fetal position. Mithrandir couldn't do anything to comfort him, he knew from personal experience. All he wanted to do was to break down, to kill the bastard darkness that had taken Fae and then die so he could be with her.  
  
Tears steamed down his face, and his face contorted with the pain he felt form the lost life, but he did not cry out. Curunir was howling and weeping enough for the both of them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wow, you don't know how hard that was to write, but things get better, promise. Read on, at least to see what happens to every one, the surprises aren't over!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	11. Healing and Departure

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 11: Healing and Departure  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Curunir's body was racked with sobs as he lay on the ground. Mithrandir stood over his friend, tears streaming down his face, but no sound came from his lips. Mithrandir stared at the immense darkness, seeing it, and yet not seeing it. Suddenly a column of light burst forth with a sound like a thunderclap; the light poured form the center of the darkness, it burst through the top of the dark cloud and shone up into the pale blue sky. Curunir's head jerked back as he snapped his head up to look at the light pouring forth from the gloomy shadows. Mithrandir's tears stopped and his mouth opened slightly in an expression of bewilderment.  
  
"What the-" But Mithrandirs' thought was cut off by "LOOK! More light! She's okay!" Curunir was instantly upright and upon his feet. More columns of light had broken through, they were all different sizes, but hey all grew. As more light broke through and what had already gotten though grew, the darkness slowly dwindled into a few splotches and with a final roar the bit of darkness left roared upward into a whirlwind. The wind whipped at Curunir and Mithrandir, but the two staying firmly on the ground. They looked into the now bright cloud and saw Twe floating in the middle of it. Her arms were out, her back arched slightly and her eyes closed; but she was peaceful and happy, they could see that on her expression.  
  
Then she slowly drifted down to the ground, still in the middle of the cloud of light. Once there she seemed to suck all of the light in the cloud into her. All of that clear, bright, life-giving, and clarifying, rainbow-hued, white light was slowly diffused into her body. She seemed to shine brighter than the sun once all was sucked in, but she seemed to dim and dim until Curunir and Mithrandir could look at her again. But she was different now, it was as if she had matured 100 years and now understood many things. She walked towards them, her garment still switching colors, but the gray, ashy color was slowly switching to a bright white. When she reached them she simply said, "You must now name me and my rank I think."  
  
Curunir and Mithrandir looked at each other, only an Istari would know that, and she had gone through the rite of passage, she had conquered the evil within herself, how after the evil had seized her they did not know, but she had survived. The two debated for a time with in the confines of a closely locked in conversation. Finally Curunir stepped forward and said "You will be called Karena in the undying lands, but since you are currently in the elvish lands we will give you an elvish name, Neffanwen, "maiden on this side of the cloud", because you have conquered the evil within you and are on this side of the darkness now. But where you go you shall now take upon you the name given to you by the inhabitants, what they call you, you shall answer too." Then Mithrandir stepped forward next to Curunir and said, "You will be of the purple order, the order that Feathalion was to be the head of. I do not think that she would have disagreed to you heading up the order that she wanted to found. The purple is the order of the Maiden Warriors, kind, yet firm with justice, never let the purity of truth be at risk. There are now 6 orders, from the highest to the lowest they are: The order of the White, Grey, Red and Purple are equal, then blue, and then brown. The White is for the strong scholars; Curunir is the head of that. Grey is for the traveler and the wanderer, the helping hand that goes where need is, I, Olorin head that. Red is for the Warrior Man, the father and the husband, the protector of all, Beltiane is the founder there. Purple is the Maiden Warrior, the guardian of justice and truth, the lioness, the hunter and the mother. Leufijn is the leader of the Blue; the order of peace, tranquility, and kindness to all, even the enemies. Brown's founder is Yearsa, brown stand by the animals and the earth; they want the elements and the creatures to live and prosper by them. Live in your order and bring light to troubled minds and help to the oppressed. May Iluvater help us all."  
  
"I thank you, but it is now time for you to go. But before you go I must give you some messages." She turned to Mith, her odd eyes seemed to stare through him, "Take courage, there is a way through all things, do not fear them. There will always be a way through, no matter how small it is or hard to find, there will always be a way." She then turned to Curunir, "For you, you must watch your ambitions, you can go many places and do many things, be careful. What you are ambitious for can be helpful or harmful, always be wary."  
  
She shook her head and came back, "It is time for you to leave," she pointed between them to the area behind them. All the dead and knocked out creatures were gone and in the center of the clearing behind them was a doorway. It was simple, yet elegant in it's curves and smoothness. The door was in the middle with nothing leading to it or from it. Mithrandir and Curunir looked from it to the girl again. Curunir looked at the stunning commander of the purple order and wondered, Who is she now? Tiwena, Neffanwen, Karena? That is the problem with taking the name of the inhabitants I never know which name to call an Istari. May as well stick with elvish since we're in the Green Wood, "Will you recover Neffanwen?" Curunir asked the girl before he turned back towards the door and followed Mithrandir's back. But no answer came except a gentle "Go."  
  
So he left, keeping his eyes on Mithrandir's back he realized, This is going to take a lot out of us, getting here, staying for as long as we have, and fighting, we'll be dead on our feet. Tehn he was through the door and suddenly in his body, he was looking down on Neffanwen through his body's eyes and feeling very drained. Mithrandir spoke into the silent room, "*This girl is t be called Neffanwen is elvish, she is the head of the purple order, the order of the Maiden Warriors, the guardians of justice and truth, the lionesses, the hunters and the mothers. She is an Istari, treat her as one.*" "*We will.*" chorused the witnesses, Thranduil, Legolas, and another dark haired elf maiden.  
  
But Mithrandir didn't have time to focus on the witnesses because he was sinking down to the floor, his legs could not support him and he collapsed. But in the split second between falling and hitting the floor, and string of power flowed from Neffanwen to himself and Curunir. Their pale faces regained the pink of life and their bodies stopped trembling from weakness. Neffanwen's face was brighter than when they had entered her mind but paler than when they had come out; she had taken some of the energy she so desperately needed and given it to her helpers.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Curunir had sunk to the floor and was pressing a hand to his chest, the new energy surging through his body, rejuvenating his tired and strained body. A gasp came out of his mouth and a hot cup of willow bark tea was pressed into his hands. "Drink." Came the simple order. He willingly obeyed. Legolas could see that he was doing fine with drinking the tea and once Curunir had finished, Legolas helped him up.  
  
"*My body is really stiff, how long where we standing there?*" Curunir asked him. "*Several hours, we wondered how long it would take you.*"  
  
Thranduil and Legolas helped Curunir and Mithrandir upright and move towards their bedrooms. The two collapsed, and right before Mithrandir was fell asleep Curunir asked him "Mith, what happened in there?" With that Mith jerked awake to answer Cur.  
  
"She is half wizard and half elf. So she passed the final, she became an Istari. What more is there?" Mith wondered where this was going. "Well, I didn't really think about their being more Istari here besides us 5, I guess I just thought it would e us 5 and no more; I never thought about what if we had kids. So she is Natar and Nimrodel's kid, huh? That would make her what, 16?" Now Mith could see where this was going. "Cur, she is a wizard and an elf, she'll live a long time, I doubt that age matters much to her. Does that relieve your fears? Can I sleep now? It's been a long day." He got a hurt feeling form Curunir and a "Yes." Then Mith dropped off to sleep; a smile across his face.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Curunir had just woken up when a servant came in with a breakfast tray. Curunir seemed to inhale the eggs, toast, jam, milk, cake, and pancakes. He had gotten up and dressed in some clean white robes that had been laid out for him.  
  
He walked out and into the garden where he had talked to Mithrandir the day before. He was staring at a rose bush and was tracing the leaf of one white rose when someone called to him, "Curunir, Curunir, I have a message for you."  
  
Arwen Undomiel was walking up to him. She was wearing a gown of white and silver blue. Her dark hair blew in the breeze as she walked up to him. She held out a rolled up piece of parchment in her hand.  
  
Curunir took the parchment, noted that the seal was Elrond's and broke the seal. He opened up the letter and read:  
  
*Istari Curunir,  
  
I know you are most interested in trying to find out the ways of ring making in your search to unravel the mystery of how Sauron crafted his. I have just found some old tomes on the subject and thought you might like to know. As Arwen was bored, I gave her the task of trying to find you; not an easy one I'm sure and I hope she comes back not bored. I hope all is going well and may the Valar look down upon you with pleasure and may Iluvater bless us. Lord Elrond*  
  
Curunir looked up at Arwen and grinned. She made a face at him, he only grinned harder. "*This is what I get for saying one day that I was bored, a month long search for you,*" she told him. The two turned and walked companionably off in the garden, the two had always been good friends since Curunir had tried to seduce her and she had given him a lesson he would never forget. Nevertheless he had been chaste ever since.  
  
"*Tell me what is going on in Imladris,*" Curunir prompted her and they talked for a good hour on the people they knew and the additions and repairs going on, the news she had heard and all the tidbits of gossip she could think of, they spent the rest of the morning just talking about this and that.  
  
Finally, near noon Arwen finally said, "*She is on you mind isn't she?*" Arwen didn't need to specify who "she" was, they both knew. "*Yes,*" was his quiet reply, his arms were behind his head and he lay on his back on a field of grass, Arwen sat at the foot of a tree nearby making a crown of dandelions. "*I don't know why I can't get her out of my mind, maybe I just need to get away, go somewhere, a change of scenery or something.*"  
  
"*Come back with me, it has been a while since you have visited my home, people may not remember you,*" her eyes twinkled as he opened his mouth to argue and then closed it and pursed it in anger. But finally the smile it had been hiding broke forth and he laughed his deep silky laugh, she chuckled with him and finished her crown.  
  
With a furry of shirts she stood up and shouted, "*To the best!*" and she flung the crown high and far. In seconds she was after it and Curunir was right on her heels. The two stopped as the crown fell and floated down a stream. Arwen laughed and made two, one for each of them.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The next day, right after daybreak, Mithrandir waved good-bye to the two retreating figures on horseback as they galloped away through the Greenwoods. They would travel through the Red Horn Pass to Imladris. He then turned and retreated to the library, there was a good book he saw there a whil ago and it would be nice to read it while he was waiting for the others to come round.  
  
He had just settled himself down with the book when the young man walked through he library's doors, Rapheal, that was his name. Mithrandir looked up form his book at the man and stared at him as Raph walked towards him.  
  
Raph got nervous under the black haired man's stare. He looked to be about Raph's age if not for the knowledge in the eyes that would only come from age, and the gray and white streaks in the hair. Rpah approached him and nervously put his hands behind his back and asked in halting elvish, "*You.are. Mithrandir?*" Mithrandir gazed at him and finally replied "*Why?*" The boy gave a sigh and tried to puzzle out a reply in elvish. "*Elves.say..talk...to.. Mithrandir.*" He managed to get out, "* he..help ..me and ..sister.*" Mithrandir narrowed his eyes at Rapheal, "*I am he,*" Raph looked relieved. "* you..speak ..languages?*" he asked, clearly trying to switch to a language he could speak fluently. "Yes, is that better?" Mithrandir asked in the Common tongue. "Yes, that is much better," Raph said with a sigh.  
  
"Than you should have asked sooner, many people know many languages, it comes in handy, since your with the wood elves, I would suggest you learn Sindarin better. But what sis the elves say to you?" "I'm not sure, something about a Mithrandir and a Curunir helping my sister, and about you teaching something."  
  
Mithrandir raised his eyebrows and asked, "You two are twins correct?" "Yes, identical down to freckles." Raph confirmed.  
  
"Hmmmmm.. Your sister was in a critical condition, most of it I can't explain and what I can explain I'm not sure if I can tell you or if you'd understand. But she is better now, and an Istari, a wizard, I will be training her." Raph's eyes narrowed slightly, "But you look to be a bit older than me, and you are an Istari? What is an Istari or a wizard? What do you do?"  
  
"Well, a long story for another time, right now I must look into you, for I need to see something about you." Mithrandir stood and up, and the two stared eye-to-eye; they were the exact same height. Mtihrandir put his fingers on Raph's temples and concentrated.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
When Mith came out of Raph, he was reeling. He wavered in the air, and Raph's hand shot out and caught hold of his arm. With Raph's help Mith lowered himself into a chair. "What is it?" Raph knelt in front of Mith, "I felt something and sensed something moving things in my mind, and memories came up that I hadn't thought about in a long time, what did you do, what did you find out?"  
  
Mith looked wildly at Raph and laughed hoarsely, "My, what a day this has been! First I meet a half wizard half elf, with a sprinkling of men's blood in her, and I witness her become an Istar, and then I meet her brother who is man with a sprinkling of elf and wizard in him!" He threw up his arms and laughed, "Valar, what else do you have in store for me today?"  
  
Raph started to shy away form this man who he was beginning to think was mad, when Mithrandir's hand shot out this time and caught Raph's arm. His face had gone serious and his eyes were not laughing, "Raphael, you have some wizard and elf blood in you, I don't know what all you can do with it or how far you can go, but you can become an Istar to some degree. But since your blood is mainly of men, you are mortal. Your sister's blood is mainly Wizard and Elf, she is immortal practically, but she will die eventually, though very slowly."  
  
Raph looked stunned; and for a good reason. He had just been told his twin sister was practically immortal and a wizard and he was mortal and had some wizarding abilities. He stepped back and mumbled something about fresh air and almost scampered away. Mithrandir smiled sadly, but he knew in his heart that telling Raphael the whole truth was the only way; Raphael needed to accept this, because from what Mithrandir knew of his sister, she wasn't going to take this lying down.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Curunir woke up with the sun streaming in his window. He gingerly got up and put his hand to his pounding head. "Uhhhh." the noise came out guttural and raspy. The sound also grated on his tender throat. He slowly turned his head to the side and saw the jugs on the floor beside his bed. He remembered getting the wine from the elves kitchen. Elves did not get drunk easily so their wine was especially strong, and the deafening pounding attested to the strength of the wine.  
  
His eyes suddenly caught sight of some elven slippers. He froze. He slowly turned his head upwards and gazed at the elvish lady who sat in a chair opposite him with her arms crossed and a patient and waiting expression on her face.  
  
It was Arwen. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Mithrandir was walking through the many gardens at Arlasmar, or "Royal leaf home" as the elves called Thranduil's palace. At one place he found Raphael sitting crossed legged under a tree, his sword was across his knees and a book lay open on the sword. But Raphael was staring into the brook that trickled thorough.  
  
Mith stopped a ways away form the boy as mearly stood there and said nothing.  
  
"What do you want" Raph said without turning around; he wasn't exactly welcoming, but that was understandable.  
  
Mithrandir stepped forward and said, "Raphael there are some things I should probably tell you." And he did. He told Raph some things about the Istari, who they were where they came form, the final challenge, that final leap of faith. And he told them about heir names.  
  
"Raphael, I named your sister Neffanwen because that means "maiden on this side of the cloud", because she has conquered the evil within her and is on this side of the darkness within herself now. Since I named her, I will now name you."  
  
Mithrandir looked down at what lay on Raphael's lap and thought about what he found in his mind and said, "Macarparma" which means "Swordsman of the books" from your love of books and swords.  
  
Macarparma looked up and a tear streamed down his check. It was the first time he looked back at Mithrandir during his whole talk. Mith was surprised, Why does he cry? For the loss of one way of life? That he can never go back to that old and familiar route? But Macarparma offered no explanation.  
  
So Mith lay his hand on his shoulder, gave it a squeeze, stood up abruptly and left.  
  
Raphael or Macarparma stayed there all night, thinking about what had happened and what he was going to do now. And in the morning he still was sure but he was read to face the world.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Well?" Arwen finally asked after the two stared at each other for 5 minutes.  
  
"Ou oh i," Curunir offered helpfully, his words slurred by his thick mouth and tongue and pounding head.  
  
"What? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you though that load of rubbish in your mouth," Arwen said scathingly and leaned forward towards Curunir, "Cur, what's wrong?" her forehead wrinkled in worry, "I know you were losing it over that half elf girl, but was it really that bad?" she searched his face for some answer to the doubts and worries that nagged at her as she offered him a bottle of water.  
  
"You know why," Curunir clarified after he had slugged down half of the bottle,  
  
"I can't get her out of my mind," Curunir drew himself into the corner of his bead, drew his knees up to his cheat and put his head to his knees; his arms sticking straight out resting on his knees.  
  
Arwen's gaze turned to pity for her friend and she finally said, "Come on, you have to do something besides just sit here. Get up and I'll show you to the new smith that just came in. You know all about smithy, but you have never done it, maybe it will help. You had better be up, bathed, and be dressed when I come back with your breakfast."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
And in the days and months that followed, whenever the haunting images of Neffanwen burned into his mind, he went to the smithy. He buried himself there, making more intricate things and learning to pour some of his power into them as elves did to make their magic rings, swords and other magical objects.  
  
But what haunted him was that she would never really know who it was that helped her. They saw her clearly enough, but she only saw two essences, maybe as balls of energy or as two blank people, no distinguishing features. She didn't even know he existed while he could never forget for one second that she was out there.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ohhh. don't you feel sorry for him? Heck, I do, and I'm the one writing it! Well, maybe it's because I AM trying to write it and can't put down the whole story as it is in my head. R/r PLEASE!  
  
~Kit ;) 


	12. Training, sleeping, training, sleeping, ...

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 12: Training, sleeping, training, sleeping, and more training  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Mith walked down the hallway, he sighed. He had much to do to get those three under control. It was clear that they were bursting with power and needed training before they started to explode those they didn't like into bits. He was going to go and try to enlist the help of one of his old friends, Noldoeriar, "Knowledgeable Old One". She was an odd one as far as elves go; because she showed age.  
  
Her story was an odd one, that was for sure. He thought to himself as he reached her room. He knocked on the door and waited. "Come in!" came a voice from inside the room. So Mith gripped the handle and entered. Nold was sitting cross-legged on a couch underneath a window. Her silver hair fell around her and created a shimmering halo from the sunlight that reflected off it from the window. Her eyes were baby blue, and her face had some wrinkles in it. She set aside the metal waistband, she was mending and unfolded her legs and stood up. The grey green dress fell about her feet and the sleeves were as long as her waist.  
  
The two friends hugged and Mith said, "My, Nold, it's good to see you again!" "Agreed," her face wrinkled even more as she smiled, "come, sit and tell me why you're here, I can tell you have something important to say." Mith glanced down at her elegant fingers. She had one ring on, he recognized the pattern on oak leaves on it; it was her mind-feeling reading ring.  
  
Noldoeriar had made many magic rings. Each ring she made with a certain pattern of some kind of tree leaves or flowers on it so she could always tell which ring did what. She had oak, beech, elm, sycamore, snap dragons, carnations, daises, and many more. All did something different; some opened the feelings of minds to her, like the one she was wearing now, others gave her the abilities to create shields, to lift things, create energy beams, be invisible, and others. Even Mith, who had helped her a lot on gathering the information to make the rings, didn't know all of the rings she had made or what they all did or which was which.  
  
So he told her. He told her of Neffanwen, Macarparma, Heidi, Legolas' story, Curunir, and the events that brought them crashing together. Noldoeriar listened to his whole tale and offered no thoughts while he talked.  
  
Once he finished she got up and sighed. She walked out onto her balcony and looked at the forest beauty, the room was a high one and looked out onto the branches of an oak tree. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Alright Mith, you have told me your story and I can guess what you want of me but confirm my fears, what is it that you want of me?" Mith smiled, he knew that Nold was going to agree. "Your help as a teacher, Nold. That's all I ask," "That's ALL!?" Nold looked over her shoulder at him, her face clearly showed her consternation and exasperation, "You are obviously not a teacher; if you were you would realize that teaching is a great responsibility and a burden."  
  
"Which is why I am coming to you," Mith pleaded. "You're a teacher Noldoeriar, and know what is best to do, and I may not be here all the time. They need to stay here. I saw some of the things that they have done when I looked at Neffanwen's memories. They are bursting with energy and power, tricks of both elves, human, and Istar. They need to be contained and trained. And my being an Istar will get in the way, I need to go places to help maintain what peace this land has gained. Please Nold, please.?"  
  
Nold stared at him for a bit then sighed gustily, "Alright, I'll help. But I can only go so far, you know more of the Istar then I do."  
  
"Thanks!" Mith rushed over to her and hugged her tight. He planted a quick kiss on her cheek and rushed out of the room, he had a lot to do. Nold chuckled and sat back down to her metal belt.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Mith then went to see the three. They were awake and still in the room they had been in from the beginning. They were wearing actual clothes now. Heidi wore a lavender dress that went to the floor with a low neckline and long sleeves, her hair was partially pinned up and the rest of her chocolate colored hair seemed to flow down her back. Macarparma was wearing a long olive shirt and russet pants, his hair was combed and clean. Heidi and Macar were sitting on the foot of Neffanwen's bed. Neffanwen wore an emerald green dress that had a box neck line and sleeve that simple flared out at the wrists and a dress that went to her ankles. She sat at the head of her bed, with her back against the backboard. He noticed that all of them still wore weapons. "I'm glad to see that you're all awake," Mith greeted them. They simply stared at him, so he continued. "I'm here to offer each of you a choice."  
  
He turned to Macarparma, "To you there are several choices; You may go back to your village, but I think you shouldn't, for however small your power may be, it is still powerful, and can be triggered by severe circumstances, so there is little chance of it being set off. All we can foresee for you is that you will effect your sister to do something important, we are not sure what it is. So you may go to the village or you may learn here or at Rivendell. There is another of my order there, his name is Curunir, and he is skilled both in the art of books and he is interested very much in smith craft. He may help you with your love of books and swords."  
  
He then faced Heidi, "We cannot foresee anything with you. We are not sure if you are important or not. You may go to your village or stay here or go to Rivendell. You may choose whatever and we will help you to the best of our abilities."  
  
Lastly, he turned to Neffanwen, he had been dreading this one the most, "To you I place a choice before you but I fear you have little say in where you will go. You may go back to your village, but you know as well as I do, that if you do you can seriously wound those around you. Your power is great and strong. You are now an Istar, and can now reach even greater resources of strength within yourself. You need to be taught, trained, and contained until you learn; but I cannot force you to do what you need to do, if you choose to leave, we will not stop you, but I recommend you stay here, at least until you can control your power of Istar, elvish, and human tricks and spells. But if you stay, you must stay here, where both a friend of mine and myself can help you to control your power."  
  
"I will leave you three to talk and decide among yourselves what you will do and where you will go," Mith turned and started towards the door; just as he reached the door Macarparma barked out, "Wait! " Mith turned around, "Yes?" "if , if.." Macar swallowed, "If I stayed here with the elves, would I have to go to Rivendell, to your friend? Or could I stay here?" Mith smiled "No, you would not have to go right away or at all even. You could stay here and learn to control and learn what we can teach you before you go to Curunir." And then he was gone.  
  
For a while there was silence. Then all looked at the other and they were decided, it was obvious. All three of their minds knew how the others worked and all came to the same conclusion. It was clear that Neff had to stay in Arlasmar, so Macar would stay as well; and where Macar went or stayed, so would Heidi. They would stay in Arlasmar, at least for a while.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
And with that their training began. Mithrandir helped them to meditate, to bring their powers in and to control them. He showed them how to be able to pull at all their sources and to only pull at a tiny piece of they sources. He helped them to gain control over what they had some degree of control, but was evident by what happened at the village before they left and the orcs that triggered with the right circumstances, they could be set off. They also learned normal subjects such as history and crafts, as well as mind tricks an spells and incantations, which were basically the same as spells but required more energy, preparation, and concentration. But Mith was only there for 6 months when he had to leave. The king of Gondor was new, he had only been on the throne for a couple years, and he had sent a messenger to find Mith and request his help. When Mith got the message, he immediately sent the messenger back saying he was coming and started his preparations.  
  
It was agreed that Noldoeriar would teach the three and help them. And she did; she taught them many things. But that is for another time. Mith came and helped them every once in a while. He helped them with their staffs too. They were ready for their staffs when they were 20. So he got them wood and the appropriate materials, and helped them to make them.  
  
Neffanwen's was of woods from the Malhorn (I think I spelled this wrong) trees in Lorien. The wood was white with a tint of green and gold. And on the top was a crystal ball. The ball was about as wide as her fist and in the center were 3 grains of dirt. They were from over the sea. Mith had taken a handful of dirt from over the sea for special occasions, and this was one. He then grew the crystal around the grains and gave it to Neff. He then taught Neffanwen to put enough energy into the wood that it grew again, even though it was dead. She grew four thin branches out of the top and wound them around the ball and grew the ends together in a tip on the top of the ball. She then was able to string small pouches on a piece of string and wind the string around the staff, so she had pouches hanging of the top. She called it Rilgalad, "Bright Light" in Sindarin; in memory of her first major use of power in the Sindarin elves wood.  
  
Macarparma's wood was from over the sea. Mith had managed to get a pole from off the ship that they Istar had come over in. The pole was a brown with a tint of ruby red, the same color but darker than his hair. On the top was a point almost like a spearhead. But the head had four flares for sides, and was engraved in many elvish runes for protection, strength, courage, and hope. The tip was a point, but was capped by a ball of mithril. Only Macar and Neff could take the ball on or off. He named it Lintetil "Swift Point".  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
They were 24 ½ years old and had learned much of what Nold knew and some of Mith's knowledge. Now they were ready. Mithrandir had come back for one of his rare trips and was going to take them to Rivendell to meet Curunir, Elrond, and some others. They were to travel for several days before they would reach Rivendell, but when they did, Mithrandir promised them that it would be fantastic.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Come on Neff," Raph prompted her.  
  
Neff looked down the long corridor where she was to meet the other Istar and eldars later on today and got a sick feeling in her stomach, "No, no, that's ok, you go on without me, I want to explore the outdoors some." She waved them off and watched Nold escort Heidi and Raph (hand and hand) to the library. Mith had gone off earlier to go somewhere to do something.  
  
She turned and went back the way they had come. She had her sword, bow, arrows, and odd assortment of knives, daggers, and blades placed around her body. She walked out of the house and wandered down a path. It was a random path, chosen at a whim and when she came upon a creek that it crossed over, she decided to head down the creek and see what she would find.  
  
So she took off her boots, and rolled up her pants. Making sure her sword didn't dip into the water with one hand and holding the boots in the other, she started off. She wandered down and around the creek. She felt small fish swim past her ankles and the scales tickle her skin. She allowed a happy smile to fill her face. The transformation was amazing. The stoic warrior wizard was gone and a simple woman was wandering around in nature. The sound of the burbling brook, birds singing, and the sigh of leaves as the wind whispered through them calmed her. The sun shone through the leaves and kept her warm.  
  
She rounded a bend and decided to rest. She sat down at the edge of the brook, near the edge of a field of grass. She noticed that a dirt track led through the small field. Feeling at ease, she took of all her weapons and leaving them in a small heap on the shore, decided to go wade some more in the water and look for some good skipping stones.  
  
She was in the middle of the creek when a horse galloped in to the clearing.  
  
The rider was wearing a set of dirty clothes that had once been white, but were caked with dirt and grime from the road. He swung down and tied the horse to a tree, and had turned and was starting towards the creek when he looked up and saw her. She knew immediately he was an Istar. If asked how she knew, she couldn't explain, but she simply KNEW. Maybe it was his minds aura, or an intuition when one Istari goes near another, she didn't know. He obviously had been planning on cleaning up at the creek, and hadn't planned on her being there.  
  
They stared at each other.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Curunir thought that he had never seen anyone more beautiful. He knew it was Neffanwen, her face had haunted him for years. The kiss he had stolen from her that one night did not help. She was standing in the middle of the creek, staring at him as he was staring at her. She had pulled the top part of her reddish brown hair back into a ponytail, but the hair up front was too short an fell out. The locks of hair fell in front of her ears and only the points showed through. The late afternoon sun shone through the trees and caused the red in her hair to shine out like a bloody halo around her head. Her eyes were a dark brown, the color of trees, and earth and all that was good and growing. Her lips were a dark skin tone with a hint of red; she did not use make up to change the way she looked naturally. Before, Curunir had liked the girls with the make-up, but seeing her, in all the beauty, natural, no enhancers nor hiding, he saw her for what she was; no more, no less.  
  
And if he thought she looked exquisite how she was, what if she dressed up really nice? Her loose shirt clung to her chest, revealing her full breasts. Her hips were round and her dirty pants were rolled up to above her knees and her legs were firm, muscular and smooth. There was calf-high boots on the shore, the wrinkles and lighter shade that hinted of thinnest, told of signs of wear and tear. She was certainly not some highbred lady who couldn't be bothered to walk anywhere, much less across country. Yet she stood there like a queen, she was regal no matter her dress, even more so than the "ladies". She had nothing to be ashamed of, and was independent and could care for herself. Standing there in the creek, her head held high, if she had ordered him to cut off his head, he would have done it. She stood with her feet apart and her pile of weapons weren't within arms reach, but he was sure if they were suddenly attacked she would win, with or without them.  
  
He thought he looked terrible, he had just come from a week's hard riding and he was hot, sweaty and dirty. He was also a bit bloody, he had run into a couple of loose orcs along the way, he didn't like the way and the bloodstains complimented the now grey shirt. All he wanted was a to clean up at the creek and change into clean clothes; not to be standing in this dirty state with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen right in front of him.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Neffanwen also thought that she had never seen anyone more handsome. He was tall, strong, and powerful. She could sense that right away. His black hair was peppered with white streaks and a small goatee was growing on his chin. His eyebrows crowned his dark, black, deep-set eyes. His lips were stern, but she could see laugh lines in his cheeks. She could also see the burdens he carried in the bags under his eyes, the wrinkles by his eyes, and the slump of his shoulders. But he stood tall, straight, and strong. He is like a tall tree that stands up to the wind, he will not back down and the wind will break first before he does. He wore a dirty shirt, it was once white, but it was so dirty now, it was a medium gray. He was handsome in a I'm-normally-very-nice-but-am-having-a rough-day-so-don't- mess-with-me-who-are-you? sort of way; she immediately liked him.  
  
She herself felt ashamed, her weapons were out of reach, what kind of fighter would he think of her as? He was obviously a fighter with that orc blood on him, she knew it was orc blood; you didn't grow up with the Dunedain and not know the smell of orcs, or their blood. The Dunedain preferred orc blood smells, because that meant they were dead, or at least wounded. Her boots were on the shore, and her pants rolled up, not very dignified. And she was painfully aware of how her shirt exposed her breasts. What kind of person will he think I am, with such a disgraceful state that I'm in now? Well, maybe he doesn't feel the same thing that I feel, maybe he doesn't know I am Neffanwen, the new Istari. Hmph. Fat chance. If he doesn't know who I am now, he will soon enough.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Suddenly a group came into the clearing. They swarmed around Curunir and in a babbling cacophony of voices, carried both him and his horse away. Neffanwen stared after him, as he did the same to her. He kept twisting his head around to stare at her and gaze at her. Then he had rounded a bend in the road and disappeared. She quickly gathered up her weapons and put on her boots, and straightened herself up. She cursed herself for having let the peacefulness of the wood intrude on her and let her be so careless as to leave her weapons behind. She then took off running through the trees. She had kept her bearings while she had wandered and made a beeline through the forest towards Rivendell. She quickly reached it and headed inside and hurried down the hallways towards the library. It was a good thing that Nolderior had them memorize a floor plan for Rivendell, she had come in a different entrance than the one she had left from.  
  
Once there she quickly and quietly stalked through the rows of shelves until she spotted the group. She stopped when she was all who was there; Mithrandir, Noldoeriar, Heidi, Marcampar, Elrond, and HIM, that Istari. Great, Can't wait to find out what he told them about our first meeting.  
  
But surprisingly, Mithrandir introduced them as if they had never met, she quickly figured out that he hadn't told them anything. Good, two can play this game, and I can play it willingly, I would hate to hear what Nold would say to having weapons out of reach, even in an elven city. She nodded her head courteously to him, Curunir; Mith said he was called. She held out her hand to shake with him and was distinctly miffed when he took her hand and bent down and lightly kissed the back of it. She was also shocked at herself, for the kiss sent ripples up and down her. But she only quirked an eyebrow and said nothing, and nothing on her face betrayed her true feelings.  
  
Curunir straightened up and even though the expression on his face never changed, she got the feeling he was amused at her slight questioning of his motives by the eyebrow quirk.  
  
"Good day fair lady Neffanwen, I am grateful to meet your acquaintance." He said formally to her.  
  
She smiled and pulled her hand back, and stuck it in her pocket. Great, now a kiss from a guy has me all riled up. She bowed and shook hands to Elrond and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Curunir was grinning at her sticking her hand in her pocket. She knew that he probably wasn't paying attention and quickly included him in the conversation that she had been paying half attention to. She was miffed and annoyed when he picked up the thread of the conversation quickly and without mishap.  
  
Valar, and I thought she was quick and beautiful at 16! At 24 she is like a knife that has been honed and sharpened and beautified father with true elvish skill, just enough to add some decoration, not enough to disturb the true beauty of the piece. He smiled again at her, and she quirked up one eyebrow at the smile and turned back to the conversation. He grinned like a fool and preceded to out beat her with his knowledge, I think I am going to enjoy this.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
And enjoy it he did. After 7 years of training Macarparma, Neffanwen, and Heidi were sick of training, yet more training awaited them. Curunir had a half a year to torture the three with any training devices and lessons he could think of. Then Neffanwen would go with Mithrandir and travel around. Heidi and Macarparma would stay with Curunir and learn more specifics from him. So they got more instruction. They spent days out in the woods or days traveling, honing their bodies to go days without food or sleep. They found the edge of their endurance and knew how far they could go and what they strength was. Most men didn't know their strength; during times of stress, adrenaline would pump through them and they could do things they never imagined. Curunir taught them to tap those energy sources and yet keep the effects from touching their minds and decisions. He also taught them not to use that way much; it would cut their years down and make them die sooner.  
  
They also learned more of the herbs and healing skills then the most trained healer in their old village knew. The sometimes found they were yearning for that place they had left long ago, never to return. As soon as they had made their decision to stay in Arlasmar, messengers had been sent that had delivered noted they had penned to their family saying they were all right and were staying with the elves. Yet that homesickness sometimes hit them like a plague, and they found everything around them strange and odd, and at times like those the three would take a day and escape to the calm of the woods and just talk of old times. And sometimes, in the dark of night, when Neff lay alone and cold and lonely, she would think back to Keavan and wonder where he was or what he was doing. And time passed. Before they knew it a half-year had passed and the time was coming for them to leave.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Cur put a hand to her back and nudged her down a different hallway than the one she started to go down. A tingle lay where he had placed his hand and distracted her from looked where they were going. She concentrated on that spot, trying t figure out what made her feel so giddy. Then Cur snapped out, "You're leaking, lock it down." Resentfully she slapped up a patch over the leak in her shield. The entered the weapons/training room that had weapons hanging on the walls all around. All of the sudden Cur sent a spearhead of thought at her shield and a foot at the back of her knees. She went down and her shields came crashing down too. "Dammit girl, your shields should be automatic, at least you let a bare shield up over you self," she knew what he meant, she had left a thin shield over her inner self, that part of her that was her energy reserves and her mind and being.  
  
He knelt over her, "Either disperse that resentment or bury deep; it's a weakness and a luxury we can't afford, get rid of it." She started to feel resentful again, but quickly buried deep within her innermost shield. "Good, "He held a hand out to her to help her up. "If you had been concentrating I never would have even touched you." She knew that too, and felt chagrined and started to severely kick herself, mentally that is.  
  
Suddenly a broadsword was in his hand and he swung it at Neff's side, but her sword was in her hand and she blocked him. She let no sign of triumph cross her face "good, but you knew your guards were doubled because I tripped you up." No emotion came from her either by her body or her mind. He felt pleased at her response, or lack of one. He retreated and then did a disengage lunge, which she parried; thrusting the blade away form her body. She twisted her blade around his and wrenched, then sword flying form his grasp. But it was replaced with a mace and chain. He swung the mace at her and it curled around a quarterstaff. She had thrust her sword back in it's scabbard and called a quarterstaff to her. He pulled the mace towards himself and the staff flew from her grasp this time. She cursed, and Cur grinned. They were both getting into the fight now.  
  
She was younger and quicker, but he was heavier and could put more strength behind his attacks and more defenses up. They continued on though a full repertoire of weapons that included maces, shields, chains, nets, spears, long and short swords, knives, thrusting daggers, and hand-to-hand combat. They threw feral looks at the other and grins of superiority only to be replaced by a sever attack. Neff threw a sneer at Cur's thin defense and thrust a dagger at his middle and brought up her other hand with a dagger at his throat and realized the trap she had fallen for. For she too had a spear pointed at her side and knife at her head. A stalemate.  
  
"Good, you've finally learned something even if I had to put you on your guard first." Nothing, "Let's clean up and go." They picked up and cleaned the few that had drawn blood and put hem all back. Cur didn't offer to take either her or himself to the infirmary to get cleaned and patched up and she didn't offer. Cur looked at her and marveled at her. Even covered in sweat and the few scratches he had given her, she was beautiful. She walked with a grace and an unknown quietness that came easily to all elves.  
  
Cur was in a state. He had to test her reflexes when he realized the effect he was having on her. He didn't want her to like him because it was forced on her or somehow his feelings leaking into her and she flipped them and mistook them form feelings for him. HE was tired and she was wearing on his shields. He wanted so desperately to tear down his shields and tell her his feelings, he WANTED her, he NEEDED her. But she may not want or need him. He would NOT force her into something that would cause her pain, whatever would make her happy, he would do.  
  
The other girl, Heidi, noticed his feelings, he was sure of it. All women have an ear and eye out for romance and gossip, and she was no exception. "Cur," he turned and looked at her," Thanks, I'll be on my guard, promise." She gave him one of those breathtaking smiles that made his heart skip a beat and disappeared into her room. Her walked down the hall to his room, not even noticing his surroundings, Damn, that woman has me wrapped around her finger. But she passed, he sighed gustily as he opened the door to his room and closed it and flopped on his bed, exhausted, yeah, she sure as hell passed.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The next day, Mith and Nold arrived from the Greenwood with Legolas. The met Curunir and the three in the library; where they had met what seemed like years ago. After the usual greetings, they got down to business, it had been decided earlier that the three would split, and Mithrandir told them that he planned to take Neffanwen to the Northern Border and show her what it was like there, fighting every other day, not knowing if you were to live or not, the fear of life. Curunir was going to keep the other two in Rivendell and teach them more. Heidi had showed great talent in the area of art, crafts, and music. Curunir would help her as much as he could there and get her proper help on those subjects. HE would also help Macar learn smithy and the art of all swords and blades. Also he would help him with languages and books; for Macar liked that subject and could shut himself in the library for hours. But he would always end up being drawn out by Heidi, to take a moonlit walk up the tall hills on either side of the valley Rivendell was in. The two grew closer as time went by, and Neffanwen watched as they grew, and yearned for that spot in her life that was unfilled.  
  
Neffanwen hugged Macarparma told him "Heidi is a good person, and she is right for you. I want you to know that, if I never see you again, I want you to know that I think you two are right for each other, and that I love you both dearly," They both looked back at Heidi who stood there, beaming at them, her two best friends. They brought her into their crushing embrace and the three huddled there, their foreheads touching and talked and remembered. They thought of the village, and their family, and of the time that had passed them by. They thought of what was to come ad made guesses of where they would be. And Neffanwen told them "You two are right for each other, and I want you to know that I love you both dearly, you will always be the closest people in my life besides Peranell and others that may come along. Never forget that she loved us and that I love you." With that she pulled away and giving them one last caress; very much like the way her mother gave one to her father all those many years ago, and turned, mounted her horse, and left. She wiped the few tears that had fallen and looked ahead, and hoped for a better future for them all.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wow, I haven't left a note on these for a while. Well, here it is so far, hope you like it! I have some idea what I am putting in chap 13, as far as a couple sentences of summaries go. Well, what do you think so far? Any ideas for (I know this sounds gruesome, but.) Macar and Heidi's death? I haven't the faintest how they should die; they are going to have to at some point, but how? If you want to leave it in my hands, that's ok, no opinions needed, just some reviews for my depressing writing skills would be good!  
  
Oh, I am in the process of redoing chap 1 and going through and finding all the bits and pieces where I named the Istar. I acknowledge and talk about people's review in the last chapter normally, the note from me. If you want me to e-mail you a longer note on what I am doing or something, leave your e-mail, I don't get on the Internet that much that I can check and find your e-mail addresses. I have also gone back and put up some notes at the end of each chap saying basically "review and read on!"  
  
I also forgot about he speak thing for a bit so I need to go back and put in the speech stuff, but I will basically be, "oh common speech," or "Oh, you don't speak elvish, so we'll speak common," or "we can see your a human so we will speak common and not elvish". But I will go back and change that too.  
  
I have gone through and renamed the chaps and I have changed some of the Istar stuff but not all, so all the chaps are pretty much the same except for a couple of odds and ends mis-spellings that I caught, and I will definitely redo chap 1 and 11 where it talks the most about the Istar and a bit in chap 8 (where Mith releases who Macar and Neff's parents are) and 10 (where he relives Fae's failure). But that should be about it. think so anyway. If you see that this is updated but no new chaps then I have updated the not from me on why I haven't updated or why I won't for a while or whatever.  
  
Basically everything I just said is in the last note, but I put it here too, because I noticed you people review on the last chap and not the note so I don't know if you read the note or not.  
  
REVIEW, PLEASE!  
  
~Kit ;)  
  
l l l \ l / V 


	13. Kaevan on the Northern Border and A Cry ...

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 13: Kaevan on the Northern Border and A Cry in the Dark  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *elvish*, if dwarvish, dwarvish, if they are speaking normally, "It will be normal."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As they traveled, Neff buried her hurt feelings and tried to move on. Sure the three of them had been parted before, but only for a week or a couple of weeks, this would probably be years! Her bond with Macar was too great to be broken, even over distances though. Every morning, when she awoke, but before she opened her eyes, she would talk to Macar, not words all the times, but feelings, or pictures; and they would show each other their newest outfits or Macar would show her his new beard and she would show him how grouchy Mith was in the morning before he totally woke up. And the morning talks helped her a lot, as they would in the days and the years to come. She and Mith traveled slowly, but on the elven horses, the distances were eaten up. As the distance grew, she had to strain more to reach Macar, but between the two of them, they always managed to reach each other. But if one of them blocked of the other one, it would be mush harder for them to reach each other's mind.  
  
Mith would sometimes stop and quiz her on something she had learned, how far she could run, or sit still, or how quickly she could get into the trace-like state that was crucial for some spells and incantations. Mith also taught her much on forestry, and filled in the gaps that she didn't know. She knew most of the tress, herbs, and flowers, and some of their potentials and what they could be used for; but not all. So he started to drill into her head the properties of the different things. She would find her self woken at three in the morning, and Mith would tell her of a wound and would ask her what plant to use and why and if she would use several plants together was effective or dangerous.  
  
And still onwards on they went; traveling, testing, learning, and living. And as the distance between the three grew bigger, Twe found that the terrain and temperature was becoming more homely. She found the cold inviting and invigorating, where Mith would huddle in his thick wool cloak and mutter curses against all the winds and the sun. She smiled and teased him and continued on. She knew more of the herbs here then Mith did and taught him. For Peranell had been the most medicinal one in the village, and had taught all her children, real or adopted, the herbs and their uses. Now Mith found himself being taught, and laughed at the reversal and accepted his new teacher merrily. Now Neff had the chance to get back at him, and wake him early in the morning and test him. She was thoroughly enjoying herself.  
  
All the while, the border drew closer and closer.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
When they finally reached it, they had traveled over mountains, through forests, streams, and snow. Neff forgot how much she loved the snow; Mith forgot how much he hated the snow. But they had reached it and they were finally there. The border consisted of a bunch of something like small forts strung along the base of the mountains. A fort was within a days ride on horseback. Different villages were nestled near or between the forts and each village tithed some food and produce to the nearest fort that needed the food. Many men also became soldiers, and trained at the nearest or at a fort farther along. All they had to do was come to a fort, and sign up to be trained, and they would get a meal, a bed, and a uniform. In return the soldier trained to the best of his abilities until he passed. The trainees consisted of boys, men, old men, and sometimes, a girl or a woman. But they were rare and few. Each fort had anywhere from 50 to 200 men and for every 20 men there was one or two girls or women. The forts also had clearings that villagers would come and set up their shops in and the clearing would become a market place for the day. In return the villagers got a safe place to buy and sell goods, and the soldiers got some goods that weren't on the necessity list as well as the publicity of boys and men coming and seeing the soldiers.  
  
They finally reached a fort, dusk was just falling and they had pushed it hard that day to reach the fort before nightfall. They came around a bend in the near mountainous but hilly country and found a fort at the top of a nearby hill. That hill was sidled up against a mountain where a stream came running down it. A small tributary of the stream ran into the fort and out the other side, and down and separated from the stream. The climbed the steep trail leading to the gates and waited in the small line of merchants, farmers, and villagers, waiting ahead of them and behind them. When they reached the guards at the gate who were checking each person and hailed them, Mith told the guards, "We are friends and need lodging and food for the night. May we come in?"  
  
The guards opened the gate enough to let them in after Mith had shown them both his and Neff's tokens. Mith's was on a foreign wood that had the signature staff and lightning bolt of the wizard. Neff's had her home one, the herbs of the village herbalist family and the river and star for her village, on the back was the staff and lightning bolt as well, since she was now a wizard too. The tokens were made with powerful magic, the pictures carved into the wood glowed a bright blue when the true person was holding theirs, it glowed a dull red when someone else was holding it.  
  
Neff felt as if she were back at home. Mith had spent a lot of time in forts like these so he felt reasonably at ease, but Neff wanted so much to get off the horse and to sink back into her home customs, to barter and trade, to weave among the crowd, and to go back to the style of living that was so much apart of her. But the staff in her hand that she balanced against the stirrup and the clothes on her back and the horse she rode and the knowledge she knew told her more clearly than any thing someone could tell her that she had left that way behind, she was an Istar now, and though she may have to blend in, she could never go back completely to that way of life.  
  
They wandered though the press of people that was there; some soldiers, some villagers come to haggle in the markets set up in some clearings there, and others were merchants with food, weapons, clothes, tools, or other needed materials for the fort soldiers. Suddenly someone yelled out, "Tiwena! Wait! Stop!" the voice was almost drowned out in the din and hubbub of the people that milled and swirled around them. But they both heard the voice and stopped. Mith turned around and looked back at her, "Who is that?" She shrugged, she didn't know, but she would find out. Mith raised an eyebrow. Neff turned around and looked about her. Suddenly someone came rushing up, it was Kerta; the archer she had fought so many years ago. He rushed up and put his hand on the elven horse and breathed hard while he spoke, "I thought that was you, it been a while since we last met-" "Almost 8 years" Neff filled in for him, and he grinned. "Yup, where were you, and-" he broke off, but his flick of a glance at Mith told her volumes. "Are Heidi and your brother ok?" he asked, trying to cover up the silence.  
  
"Yes, they are well and healthy," Neff assured him; she smiled, one of those dazzling smiles that made Cur dizzy with happiness. She WAS happy, she was home, and no matter how much she had not been accepted, she did have a few who tolerated her, and she had her foster-family. And apparently Kerta had decided to be her friend; apparently her shooting made him actually look at HER, not her heritage. Kerta grinned at her smile and thought, My she has grown up. Neff couldn't help but hear, he didn't have any shields up, and his thoughts were projecting. She knew she had grown up, but she also knew that he probably hadn't even looked at her when she was younger and inserted into her mind, even though she knew it was wrong, Maybe I just didn't look at her closely before. And right after she did that, she quickly backed out and put up shields, a slight feeling of guilt in her stomach.  
  
Kerta shook his head, his dirty blond hair flying around. But he smiled congenially enough and said to her, a twinkle in his eye, "Come with me, there is an old friend I think you might like to meet." Neff glanced questionably down at him, but he grinned impishly and said nothing, he started to lead the way through the crowd and Mith gazed at her with one of his cool looks, one that said oh, so well, What do me do now your highness? He didn't say that of course, if he had, Neff would have had him out of the saddle and pinned to the ground so fast it would have made him head spin. She shrugged and followed Kerta. Mith followed compliantly behind her.  
  
They reached a barracks that was part of the wall and Kerta showed them a stable where they could put their horses. They gave the horses to the stable boys with explicit instruction sot take VERY good card of them and followed Kerta into a barracks sitting room, or as close as they had of one there. Kerta was an archer was in Keavan's group. Each commander slept in the same area as his troops and Keavan was at a table discussing some sort of tactics with what looked like his second in command when they entered. Men were sitting about the room polishing and sharpening swords, fletching arrows, fixing bowstrings, rewrapping grips, testing the weight of a sword and in general resting.  
  
Kerta led them over to Keavan, he had his back to them and didn't notice them. The men didn't glance all that much at visitors, they were common and not unexpected, there were several in the room now, but men did look twice at the staffs, and their clearly elvish robes and their tokens, hanging on elvish chains and poking out from their shirts, clearly telling that they were wizards. But when either Mith or Neff looked around, the quickly dropped their gazes to whatever they were doing except for a couple who knew Mith or the few more that knew Neff and were astonished to her promotion in life. An excited whisper started to run through the room.  
  
Then they reached Keavan. EH turned around, his eyebrows frowning at the interruption, but prepared to deal with it , when they shot up at the sight of Neff. His mouth opened and she grinned, "Long time no see, Kev." She said easily enough. Keavan quickly got hold of himself, "Twe! It's so good to see you!" they hugged and Kev whispered into her ear, "Wizard huh? A lot of things have happened since we last parted Tiwena Silver-feet." She parted and smiled inwardly at her old nickname. She had the quietest and swiftest feet in the village, and had quickly earned the name, silver- feet.  
  
"Yes, there have been," Twe said softly, her eyes were memorizing ever new facet of Kev. His hair was a dark brown and his eyes were a deep chocolate. He had worry lines were he hadn't before, but he maturation made him much more interesting, he had layers and facets now. She liked him. She remembered the time when he had come to her in her coma and had kissed her, it had sent sparkles fizzing throughout her body, she wondered if they still would.  
  
She held down the blush that wanted to burst out and kept a polite and friendly smile on her face. Mith sent a "Well.?" into her mind and she went, "Ohhh!" she had forgotten all about Mith, "Kev, this is Mi-" "Gandalf" Mith smoothly cut in, no one noticed. Neff all the suddenly realized her blunder and quickly covered up her embarrassment. "He is my teacher, I am a wizard, but I still have a lot to learn, we were wondering if we could stay here for a bit." Neff broke off, wondering what he would say. Mith had told her how some people would turn them away, because they were afraid of them, whereas others would fight over the honor to have them.  
  
Keavan immediately smiled, "We would be honored to have you stay with us. We have some guest rooms that you can stay in and there are some public bathhouses to bath at, if you don't mind." He looked a bit worried. "Mind! Heavens! I'll feel some much better to have a bath!" Twe quickly said to relieve his anxiety, and truly, she would be.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The next day after a good clean bath and a mice rest and a good meal, Kev showed them around. Kerta had watch and couldn't join them. Kev showed them the whole fort, barracks, supplies, kitchens, markets, guest houses, public bathing rooms, command houses, stable, watch towers, signals, and even the lay of the land about them. When he had showed them everything there was, Twe and Gandalf collapsed, tired after all the information they had absorbed. They had both seen a lot of forts, but neither of them had ever seen THAT much! Kev chuckled at their prone forms and said, "We could go and I could show you the mountains behind us." he broke off with an evil grin, but there was a slight hope in his eyes that Mith noticed, Twe didn't.  
  
Twe's weariness fell form her at once. She loved the mountains, the cool air, the crisp snow, the waterfalls, and animals, everything about hem told of majesty and age. She sat up at once, and her eyes sparkled, "Oh, could we Kev!?" she asked, Mith groaned and sank deeper into his chair. Twe glanced at him curiously and then grinned mischievously at him, "Too old Gandalf, my friend?" "Yes." Gandalf answered with out hesitation. Twe smiled and do did Kev, "Do you want me to show them to you tomorrow?" he asked her. "Please, do!" Gandalf broke in, "I have some letters I must write, and I can do them tomorrow, while you young people scamper in the hills." So it was agreed upon.  
  
Gandalf wanted to stay up and write some tonight, and so he shooed Kev and Neff off with a wave of his hand as he concentrated on what he was going to say. Kev walked Neff to her bedroom, and they talked of old times and people they knew and where they were now. When they got to the door, They stopped and talked a bit more, then a silence fell, they stared out a window towards the sunset and said nothing. Twe felt happy and safe and secure, Kev felt nervous at having the girl he loved back with him again.  
  
Twe opened the door and turned to say goodnight when she found herself kissing Kev. His lips were latched on hers and his lust and love were apparent. Some tingles went though her, but not as many as when she had the come. She supposed it had been that she had been so drained then, that a simple kiss seemed like a lot more than it was. When they came apart, Kev muttered a hurried, "goodnight," and rushed off, Twe stared after him, and then went into her room, quietly closing the door behind her. She fell on to her bed, and felt a smile of happiness flow through her.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
And so four years passed. Twe and Kev's love deepened and flourished. Mith came and went, visiting other barracks and staying at Karnock; Kev's fort. Twe sometimes went with him and sometimes stayed behind. The hardest part was visiting her old family again. She hadn't changed much in the nine years she had been away, but hey had. She told them about her and Raph, and Heidi. They parted friends again, and Twe promised to tell Heidi and Raph to write. She told Raph the next morning and the family was surprised when a letter arrived a bit more than a week later, the letter was long and told them many things that had happened and asked for details about what was going on there.  
  
And still Kev and Twe grew closer; they confide in each other, they would sneak of to corners to "talk" for a while, and they came closer and closer, people started to ask when they were to get married. Whenever anyone would ask them that, Mith would listen closely, and was always relieved to hear them say they weren't planning on anything, Cur still had a chance.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
One day, Kev and Twe were heading up two bands, 80 men, to go to a nearby fort that was especially depleted. Karnock was overloaded so it was fine that two bands left, it was almost welcome. On the way, Kev and Twe rode together. Twe still had her staff and her elvish horse, as did Mith. Mith had gone on ahead to see how far away the fort was. Kev and Twe were joking around when they were attacked.  
  
Out of no where 2 bands of orcs attacked, the odds were even, but the orcs had the higher ground and could make better use of their few archers. The orcs were also stronger and not road-weary. The battle was joined immediately. Twe pulled out her sword and started to fight, occasionally she would shoot sparks or lightening bolts at orcs, but she used her blades the most. There were each down to a half a band or so, when Twe heard Kev cry out. An orc had charged him with a spear and it went into his horse and Kev was on the ground. Another orc ran by and slashed at the back of Kev's knees' the tendons cut, Kev fell with a heart-wrenching cry.  
  
Twe's heart leapt and she mouthed wordlessly, "No." She ran and jumped through eh press left to reach him. She reached him just as he cried out to her, "Look out!" she dove for the ground and he fell on top of her, a black arrow piercing his heart. When she saw him she gasped and sat up, she cradles him in her lap and arms, his useless legs at an impossible angle. "Silver-feet," he whispered, and blood started to creep out the corner of his mouth. He coughed and blood spattered onto her shirt. "Twe," he gasped," she nodded, crystal liquid drops of sorrow poured from her eyes and her throat was too clogged up to talk, "Twe, I-" he coughed and blood dribbled down his face, he shook with inner convulsions as his body started to shut down, never to move again. "I, love, you..." he reached up and put her check in his hand and caressed it one last time, his eyes filling with tears and his love for her; before his head fell back and he stared blankly at the sky.  
  
Sobs choked out of Twe as she closed Keavan's eyes and she wept for him, for the men lying around her, for her, for the love lost, and for many other things that she didn't know. She felt the empty spot in her heart where Kev had been, and was sad and mad, and angry. She had loved him, why did he have to die? Why did he have to be so noble and die for her? She shouted at the sky and the unkind fates who had dealt her a crippling round yet again. She cried out cradled Kev as her sobs shook her body and she quivered like a leaf in a storm.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Mith came galloping over the ridge, his eyes wide and searching for the cause of such turmoil and sadness. He saw Twe and Kev, shining in a light beam form the sun, it had broken through the dark storm clouds and lit them up like a spotlight, he saw Kev reach up to Twe, and then his hand fell, it was then that the cry began.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
When Cur heard Neff cry, his heart nearly stopped. His was walking down a corridor in Rivendell and her cry shattered into his mind and scattered his thoughts to the four winds. The mind cry was a near shriek or wail. Her mind cried out for comfort and strength. The wail was un-endless and soundless, yet it almost shattered his ears. He fell to the ground, dropping his staff and clutched his ears and he threw all of his strength into a barrier. Even with the barrier as thick as it could get without drawing on reserves, the cry came on. The cry inhabited him and suffused him to the bone and shook his courage and need to live, If anything has happened to her. He let the threat go unfinished as the pain redoubled. He ached with holding onto his sanity. The sound doubled again and Cur cried out with the pain, it was growing.  
  
Silence. There was suddenly no sound and the silence pressed into him and made him feel claustrophobic. Neff had been cut off.  
  
The silence pounded down on him and he threw off all his shields, not taking the time to gather the energy back into himself to use later. He became painfully aware of the minds around him, but he ignored them and press out wards. He searched northwards towards Neff, but she was too far! He shouted with fear, anxiety, and frustration. He strained but he couldn't reach her, he COULD NOT reach her!  
  
He snatched up his staff and gathered strength from the energy stored there; enough to hobble down the hall. He went as fast as he could to Macarparma's room. He had sensed Macar and Heidi in Macar's room when he searched for Neff, they could help him! He had also sensed Legolas at the stables when the cry came.  
  
When he reached the room, he thrust open the door and stared wild-eyed in. He wide eyes were dark in against his pale and waxy face. He had taken to tying back his black, silky, shoulder-length hair with it's streaks of silver with a ribbon. But it was now a shamble, with tangles and it going everywhere. Between Curunir's falling, writhing, getting up, and fast hobbling, it was tussled and framed his white face. His cheekbones were pronounced more now then when Neff had last been here. He didn't eat very well, since she had left, and probably wouldn't until she came back. He was tall, slim, and angular. His hands, one of which was still clutching the staff, braced him against the doorway frame and kept him from falling forward. His hair swung and cast eerie shadows on his scared face. His charcoal robes were still swirling about him from his abrupt turn into Macar's room and he hardly stopped. He took a quick glance around and rushed in.  
  
Cur saw that Macar was splayed out on the bed, Heidi sat by his side, Macar held both hands to his temples, and Heidi had one hand on her won temple as well, but eh other was on Macar's chest for support, she was weaving a bit drunkenly in the air. There were tear streaks down all of their faces, their heads were pounding with headaches, and Macar and Heidi stared at him fearfully, I can't pay attention to that now! Macar still has a tentative hold on her, but he is losing it as time goes on, we have to link now to get to her! Dammit! Neff is out there somewhere, hurt, in pain, something is wrong! And she can't be in pain, she simply can't! His love for her drove him on.  
  
He hobbled to the bed and threw his staff to the side. "Link with me now! Together we can reach her through Macar's link, we have to, we must!" he commanded them, his voice told them how desperate and frightened he was, but only Heidi noticed, Macar was reeling. The pain I'm am sensing from Neff is like feelings we had when Peranel died; some one has died. someone close to her.  
  
Cur grasped their hands and the three immediately linked into each other; they were immensely glad for the practice sessions now.  
  
Then Leg came rushing into the room, "I was at the stable when I heard it, what happened?" "We don't know!" Cur snapped and held his and Heidi's hand out to him, "Link!" the tone was imperious, and Leg only hesitated a second before clutching their hands and swiftly linking onto them. The four together formed a great mind, all had tried separately to reach her, and failed; they were drained, but they still formed a formidable mind force.  
  
Together they followed Macar's link to her. Cur kept them going and fed his reserves into their flagging energy after all had given what they had left. They finally reached her. She was on an island within her mind and her shields were up. She was barring herself and her grief off from everyone, only Macar, half of her, was able to keep a finger hold in her shields. The built up what little they had left and penetrated through her shields and the sorrow and despair washed over them. The links that bound them started to fizzle and break, "NO." Cur cried out. He never knew how much alike Neff's cry that was, but Legolas did, and he opened his eyes and stared at Cur, aghast at the similarity. The wizard's face was awash with fierce pain and sorrow and determination. Suddenly Cur fed the only strength he had left into the force; his love for Neff.  
  
The love was pure, undiluted, and untainted. It was strong, and bright, and glowed violently with the pure love he felt for the half-elven half Istari woman. The links strengthened and held, but they were overflowing and the love bounded down the only escape it had; into Neff. The love was so pure and filling that in no time at all, it came to sea of fiery pain. It quenched the fire and swallowed the water. There it ate through her weak barriers like acid and sank into Neff and suffused her as her cry had earlier had suffused them.  
  
She resisted. She WANTED to cry, to die, to end this pain. She lashed out at them, Cur rushed the front of their force and took the blows. But she finally tired and sank down, it was then that Cur led the attack and sent more love in. She accepted it this time after a brief hesitation slowly took the strength and courage and sent them a brief, "Thanks" and broke off, she pushed them outside her shields and all of the sudden they had lost all their strength; their minds snapped back into their bodies. They lay slumped in different poses around the room. Curunir lay in a chair, which he had fallen into, Leg also lay in a chair, but it was directly across form Curunir. Macar still lay on the bed and Heidi now lay on his chest. All were exhausted from the energy spent and the backlash of being thrown back into their bodies at the loss of all their energy. They still had their reserves left; that was what had kept them alive and breathing. But Curunir looked the worse, he had fed all of the reserves that he could, keeping only a little with himself, knowing he could do more alive than dead. But if he had known that giving up his life could have made her happy and alive, he would have done so, no hesitation.  
  
Then Macar looked at Heidi questioningly, she shook her head; they stared at Leg, who also shook. All three turned and looked at Cur, who said and did absolutely nothing. Macar's voice came out throaty and rough as he asked Cur, "You? You were the one with all that?" he waved his hand in the air, trying to indicate to the flood of love Cur had released. Cur stared stonily and acidly back at Macar, but he didn't take the hint and kept going. "I added what I had, but it was nothing compared to that, that." he broke off, at a loss of words to descried the flood of light and pureness that had flowed through them into his twin.  
  
Cur stood up and grasped his staff, "I'm glad Neff is well now. And it was all of us-" he said but his voice was breaking so he stopped trying, and hobbled out slowly. They stared after him. Macar was shocked, and that shock showed clearly on his face; Heidi gazed sorrowfully at the back of her teacher, she could only imagine what he was going through. She had figured out long ago his true feelings for Neff. Leg stared after Cur; his face was masked and hidden with a black and neutral stare. But Heidi had seen the flicker of jealously, rage, sorrow, and defiance there before he had hidden it when Macar had accused Curunir. And Heidi could sense trouble on the wind.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
She was right.  
  
Trouble came later in the form of Leg leaving Rivendell immediately after doing his mission, when he normally stayed a day at least to visit. Leg gave Elrond his message, got food, and left as soon as his horse was rested.  
  
Hidden in his window, Cur watched Leg gallop away. He hadn't seen Leg's reaction, but he knew there must have been one, for he had seen a flicker of a horrified look on Heidi's face and Legolas was leaving awfully soon. He would track her down and find out what EXACTLY it was that she had seen. In fact, he would do that right now.  
  
"Heidi?" "Yes?" came the reply. "What was it that you saw Leg do? I know you saw something." He said before she could deny it. "Yes." she said hesitantly, "Butt out Macar." Cur growled out, and Macar, who had been trying to edge in, hidden, into the conversation, backed out. ".?" Cur prompted her. So Heidi showed him what she had seen. Cur didn't reply to her anxious queries about what he was going to do or what was going on, "Thanks," he clipped out before he broke off completely.  
  
Hmmm. He replayed the image of Legolas' distorted face in his head as he ran to Elrond and asked him if Leg had said anything about where he was going. "Yes, he asked if we could send a messenger to the Greenwood saying he was going north to see Mithrandir." Cur ground out under his breath, "And Neff." "Well, yes," Elrond said. Elrond was no dumb person, he had seen the way that Cur looked at Neff when she wasn't looking, and he had heard the cry and felt the rescue party and who it involved, he had also followed what had happened when they reached Neff; he had been ready to add his support when the love form Cur started to flow. And now Legolas was hurrying north, where Mithrandir and Neffanwen were, it didn't take a genius to put the pieces together.  
  
Elrond stared hard at him, "What she does is her business, you gave your word that you would train those two here, I suggest you calm down." Cur opened his mouth to argue, then realized the truth in Elrond's words and took a deep breath instead. Elrond is right, I have promised. but Leg is going after her! She is going to take the first warm shoulder and stay there after she has just been through another death! His despair must have showed on his face, because Elrond put his hand on Cur's shoulder and said, "The hardest thing to do, is to watch someone you love, love someone else. But when the love between you two comes to it's full ripeness, you will have a better relationship and you will be better trained and know the worst feelings before you get there. And knowing those bad feelings will only make the love between you seem all the more sweeter."  
  
Cur looked up at Elrond, and looked so sad and sorrowful, and despairing, that Elrond almost shouted out to some one to go get Legolas and keep him here while Cur went to Neff; but he stopped himself. What the girl will choose was her choice, and no one would influence or change that, even Curunir.  
  
Curunir stared straight ahead; Elrond was at his side and watched as a tear fell down Cur's cheek. Cur felt the little drop of salty water roll down his face and fall. His hope that Neff would ever return his love for her fell like that tear, and shattered into a thousand pieces. His voice cracked as he asked the wise elf, "What do you do when the only person who can make you stop crying is the person who made you cry?" Elrond didn't have an answer for that. So they stayed there, finally Elrond's voice floated out of the gathering dusk and said, " 'When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your friends will be there.' Don't give up hope Curunir, my friend and ally. We are here for you and will help you all we can." Elrond turned Curnir towards him and glared at him, "And tying up Legolas and throwing him in the sea is NOT help!" He said quickly as he saw the picture that Cur was projecting to him. Cur grinned.  
  
But the picture had a better effect on the scene. Elrond grinned a bit and they walked to a balcony that overlooked a garden. In it there was one elven maiden. Her hair was fair and golden, and her dress was of a silvery blue that hugged her small frame. She turned her face upwards and her violet eyes gleamed up at Elrond. Elrond grinned a bit, and said with a sigh, "Nobody is perfect until you fall in love with them."  
  
Curunir heartily agreed with him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, there it is! What do you think? Do you feel sorry for Mith or do you agree with Legolas' actions, he is a prince and I'm sure he is either sick of never having his way or always gets what he wants? What do you think his motives are? What did you think of Keavan's death? Anyone like him? Well, review and tell me!!  
  
I love how I am writing a story like this. Me; who has never traveled, had anyone close to me die, or had a boyfriend or love or first kiss. Kinda funny.  
  
~Kit ;) 


	14. The Bracelet

The 6th Istari  
  
Chapter 14: The Bracelet  
  
Note: I may have gotten some facts wrong, and if I did, and you notice, please tell me and I will try to change it asap.  
  
Thoughts are in Italics. Thoughts spoken to each other are "in italics". If they are speaking in elvish, *sindarin, wood elves* ~quena, Rivendell elves~ dwarvish "normally" ect... yeah I have forgotten these a lot and probably will continue to do so, JRRT may have been a great linguist, but I sure am not, I am a true America, only speaking American English and a FEW words of other languages, pathetic, I know.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Curunir, Heidi, and Macar were sitting in the garden; birdsong peppering the background and the sounds of the wind in the rustling leaves drifting thorough into their ears. They were looking gout, practicing seeing those around them, without hearing their thoughts. It was almost like how they had searched for Neff when she had cried out to them.  
  
Suddenly a rapid heartbeat and pounding hooves came up. They snapped out of their trance and watched an elf in the woodland garb ride up and halt in front of their circle, ~ Do you know the way to Lord Elrond? ~ he asked them. He was blond like all elves and an archer as most tended to be, carrying a few knives with him. They wordlessly pointed down a path and he nodded his thanks and took off again. They looked at each other and quickly got up and dashed down the path. They all had seen the messenger bag the elf was carrying and he was clearly from the Greenwood, there must be something newsworthy.  
  
Elrond's study was an open airy room with books protected behind glass door cabinets made of dark wood that matched the dark leather plush chairs and the dark wood desk and room. It was strange for how much there was dark, how light and airy it seemed to be, not in the least bit depressing. Elrond himself stood at a balcony doorway, tapping the letter in his hand on the open palm of the other; a thoughtful look playing across his face.  
  
~Enter my friends, a letter has arrived from Mtihrandir.~ they filed in and sat down, Elrond finally turned around and form that moment on, his attention was mostly focused on Curunir. He paced up and down a bit, and finally turned to face them. HE stared at Curunir, making no pretense that he was watching Curunir's reaction to the news he was about to give them. ~Mithrandir says that they got to the border fine and they met some old friends, Kerta, an archer, and Keavan, a-~ he broke off, searching for the right word. "Lover?" Macar sent to Heidi alone, she stamped on his foot, he winced, "We never had any proof that they were!" she threw back at him angrily.  
  
`-An old friend~ he said, his gaze flickered to the two and their squabble fro a second before instantly sliding his gaze back to Curunir. ~Yes, ~ Macar broke in, ~ she told me about it and about the herbalist family, where we come form~ he gestured at himself, Heidi and vaguely towards the west, where Neff was somewhere. Elrond nodded and continued on, ~ Well, apparently Neffanwen, or Tiwena as she is up there, became very close to Keavan." Elrond's eyes were boring into Curunir's now, Cur gulped, but his face betrayed nothing. "Keavan was a commander there, he had two bands, 40 men, under his leadership. ~  
  
Cur was almost in shock from when Elrond had said "Very close", in other words, Love. But he had enough wits left to seize onto two words, his buoys of hope in a sea of despair; "Was" and "Had". He looked up at Elrond, waiting for the rest of the story, and still not letting his emotions leak, Elrond did not disappoint.  
  
~They were traveling to a nearby fort that was depleted when two bands of orcs attacked. Only seven men survived, along with Neffanwen and Mithrandir~ he added to ease the worry that had showed on Cur's face. ~But, Keavan died, in Neffanwen's arms, ~ a silence descended, broken only by the weeping and crying of Macar and Heidi, who had their arms around each other, trying to comfort the other, and not succeeding very well, but misery likes company, so they took in each other's company.  
  
Cur's face was hidden, but Elrond felt the happiness and sorrow hidden. Happiness, that Neff was alive, and sorrow that Kev had died and hurt Neff. If Cur could have died to keep Keavan alive, he would have if it had made Neff happy forever, and Elrond knew that.  
  
Finally Elrond, whose glance had never left Curunir's face, showed his emotions; exasperation and exhaustion. He was tired of dealing with the maelstrom of emotions that Neffanwen had stirred up, first with her coming and now with Cur, who had been cooped up in Rivendell far to long and was driving Elrond crazy. It's all because of that girl! He immediately chastised himself Ohhh. It's not her fault. He scrubbed his face in his hand and sighed.  
  
Curunir was looking in his lap. ~ There's more. ~ he stated. Elrond nodded and continued, know the havoc this would make. "Legolas showed up two days after Keavan's death. The two of them are growing closer, perhaps as close as she and Keavan had been. ~ he didn't need to look up to see the despair and anguish on Curunir's face, he could feel it. Curunir had given up all hope that Neff would ever lone him, ~ they have gone to the greenwood. Go to her, all three of you, ~ his gaze swept over all of them, his eyes were a but haunted, but still as piercing as ever. But Curunir had been especially volatile lately and had pass ed the feeling onto Elrond. Elrond wanted them all OUT! ESPECAILLY Curunir! He needed to face his feelings for Neffanwen and live with it. ~Go, Soon.~ he pleaded with them.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
They left and split to go to their separate rooms, they would leave in the morning. When Cur got to his room, before he started on anything else, he went to his close and rummaged around in there, then he pulled out a burnished wooden bow, the maple and beach leaves carved into the cheery wood seemed alive and to float in the breeze, elvish workmanship. But he was concerned with what lay inside the box. He opened it and reveled a bracelet, it was made of copper and lay in stark contrast to the black velvet.  
  
He had spent years working on this and over the past month since Neff's scream, he debated whether to give it to her or not. He had gotten the copper, melted it, forged the wire to make it, and made each link and hooked it all together. And through it all, he poured his love into it, his love and need for her. It was a locating device, and he had poured much of himself and her into it so that he could find it and thus her very easily. He could reach her anywhere, no matter how little energy either of them had. Every single atom in the 30 links, two rings, and one clasp was suffused with his love and need for her.  
  
Curunir slipped his fingers over the shining bracelet. It was one of his finest pieces of workmanship and he had spent a lot of time in making it. He knew she would see the shinning aura of power around it, but he would tell her it was part to the shine of the bracelet's copper and part because he had put a simple locating spell on it so he could reach her more easily, a white lie, it WAS a locating device, but anything but simple. The others would see through this right away, he was sure of it, but he only wanted to convince HER. Once she had it, the glow would become normal and she would expect it, even as the metal dulled.  
  
He only had to convince Legolas to let her keep it on and not in a jewelry box.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
After several days travel, in which Curunir's stomach and mind became heavier and knotted and twisted and tied together with nervousness and dread, they reached Arlasmar. The woody palace was as gorgeous as ever, trees mixing with walls and designs blending into nature so well, it was impossible to tell were elvish work left off and nature began.  
  
And there; the pinnacle of his fear and doubts, was Neffanwen and Legolas. They stood arm in arm, waiting for them at the top of a flight of steps. They looked to the entire world like young lovers in love for the first time. Cur's heart stopped feeling anxious and just dropped to below the hooves of the horse he was riding, and got trampled there quite easily, but he hid his sadness and smiled happily sat hem. They are my friends, I should be happy that they are each happy, and they deserve it. But a little voice deep within him kept asking, What about me? He couldn't answer that. And so Neff and Leg showed them around and told them tidbits of gossip, and Cur caught them kissing and holding hands and grinning at each other and definitely in love. Well, she has made her decision, now I must live with that and move on.  
  
And later on, after the sun had set and they were sitting about a campfire in the woods and finally Curunir asked what all had been dreading to ask all day. * Neff, What happened? * she didn't say anything for a minute, and all waited for her answer, she leaned back, cradled under one of Legolas' arms, and her hands were in Legolas'. She hadn't yet spoken to anyone of what had happened after the battle, had held in what had happened to her. Her words started haltingly and slowly, but they grew as the torrents of feelings came crashing out of her, and in her twisted face and pain-ridden words, they felt her suffering. The tears that she had not shed since Kev's death came freely now, a inundation of tears and sobs and cries, and through it all, Leg was the sheltering rock she turned to. Oh, how Cur yearned to embrace her, to cry with her, to mourn and help her! To comfort her! But he could only watch.  
  
And once the flood of words, sounds, and tears was done they all sat still. She had tried to tell them of how it had felt when her being had been ripped out of her at Kev's death and thrown to the four winds. She had tried to describe the feeling of emptiness that was only filled with sorrow. And then Leg had come, and her eyes had shone as she looked at him when he told this part of her tale, and Cur excused himself, but her voice carried clearly thought the trees to where he had gone to "relieve" himself, but he was only sitting there, trying to force the tears of rage and hatred down. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do more, rip Leg apart, break down and cry, or shake Neff until she could see the pain he was in. All three he finally decided on, and after he had shredded many leaves, he finally got his composure back and went back to the group.  
  
They decided to sleep where they were and Cur simply pulled his blanket over himself. He could sleep leaning against a tree, he had slept in worst places.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
He woke to soft footsteps that treaded past him. He opened one eye a crack to see Neff walking into the wood. He quickly got up and dug out the box, he told Heidi to go back to sleep when she woke up he had to "relieve" himself again. She sighed gustily and rolled her eyes, but went back to sleep.  
  
Cur followed Neff until her found her by a stream, her feet dangling in the water, and a shawl wrapped around her night gown, which he noticed revealed much of her fit body- He quickly looked up at her face and asked, "Can I sit down with you?" "Please," She said, indicating the grass next to her.  
  
They sat down and it was awhile before Cur could get up the courage to give her the gift. Finally he forced himself to shove the box into her hands and say gruffly, "Please, take this," not the eloquent speech he had planned, but it all boiled down to the same thing anyway. She glanced at him curiously an then opened the box, her eyes shone with appreciation and her mouth opened into a tiny "O" of surprise, "Cur. I don't know what to say." "Take it," he supplied, "I made it after your scream, there is a locating device on it, so I can reach you easier if that situation ever comes up again."  
  
She grinned in a grimace of the trouble she had caused but took out the beautiful bracelet he had made specifically for her and put it on. "Cur..." her eye shone with happiness, "I love it, thank you so much," she leaned over and hugged him. Well, maybe she won't ever love me, but maybe we can be friends at least, better than nothing. He told himself, his shields were up full force around her. The two sat in companionable silence, babbling on about nothing that either could remember later, it was just small talk, it was the togetherness that counted.  
  
Finally, hours later, they realized dawn was coming, and they had better get a few hours of sleep. Cur fell into a satisfied, if not happy sleep. And his last thought before he slept was that, at least I can reach her now, no matter what. And I can already tell, she is happy and contented. Even if it isn't with me. And he realized as he dropped into the oblivion of slumber that some people make the world special just by being in it. And even if they broke your heart it still was a special place to be, because how special they were was to great to hold all in your heart; you needed their heart as well to hold you love for them. But he only had his heart; he couldn't share this love for Neff with Neff. As he dropped off, his despair mixed with hope and formed a mixture where he wasn't sure what was what anymore.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
It was several days later before Leg noticed Neff's addition to her jewelry, he was surprised he hadn't noticed it before now, since Neff wore no jewelry what so ever. He picked up her wrist and asked her directly, * What's this? * *A bracelet. * she answered, but his stormy face told her how angry he was, so she quickly rushed out the rest of the explanation, * Curunir gave it to me last night, it was a gift, no more. Do you not like it? * she was puzzled by Legolas' reaction to her new gift. * NO * he answered in no way to leave her doubting, * I think you should give that back to Curunir * * But I like it- * she answered, * NOW * Leg's voice growled at her. She was still sick somewhat from the re-telling of Kev's death, and she was scared of Leg's reaction; she had never seen that fierce face of him before now, and she didn't want to lose that happy feeling she and Leg shared. So she took it off and went to her room reluctantly, there she found the box that Curunir had given the bracelet to her in and put it back gently.  
  
Then she went to Curunir's room. She knocked on the door, but no one answered, it was around 9 o'clock and she figured that Curunir had already gotten up so she decided to go in and put the box on the bed and leave it there. It would be easier that way, no confrontations, about why she was doing this, since she couldn't answer that question satisfactorily to herself right now. She opened the door and started to pick up the clothes and random books and other odds and ends Curunir had left around automatically, sort of lazily. It was a hazy day and she was reluctant to move fast or give back the bracelet. Then she got to bedroom. She opened the door, and since she was looking down she didn't even realize that someone was in the bed until she got up to it. When she got to the bed and was about to place the box down, she noticed that there was someone in the bed, no, TWO someone's. She looked up horrified.  
  
Her brown eyes met Curunir's startled lack ones. He was sitting up in bed, a strawberry-blonde haired elf lying beside him. She was asleep, but Cur was awake and staring just as horrified back into Neff's eyes. Under the circumstances, Neff was entirely entitled to what she did next; she panicked. She threw the box at him, tore around and streamed through the rooms, quickly closing each door as she went, careful not to wake the elven maiden.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Cur stared at the door for a good long time before he could force his horrified face into doing anything else. He flopped back on to the bed and looked at the elf lying beside him. She was blond like all elves but her blonde had mixed with red and had become a pale red with golden white highlights elf. She was perfectly formed and a good lover, but Curunir was disgusted with himself all the same. She had a reputation for being the elf who traveled from bed to bed, and he had to admit, she was a good, but there she was.  
  
He sighed and swung his legs out of bed, his right hand still clutching the box that had been thrown so unceremoniously in his lap. He got and took a deep breath, and started to change, Maybe a ride in the woods would help... blow all these tangles of thoughts rolling around in my head out.  
  
How wrong he was, he never knew until later.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Neff sat huddled at the edge of her bed, fluctuating between anger, embarrassment, and guilt. She was mainly angry at herself though for following what Legolas said even though she didn't want to give up the bracelet or the box, at Leg for making her, and at Curunir, for what she wasn't sure. Maybe it was her primal female feelings, mad that he was sleeping with some other girl and not liking her, then again, it could be that she was taking her anger at herself and Leg and lashing out at Cur since she didn't want to ruin the relationship between her and Legolas.  
  
Then she thought of Legolas' "NO" and "NOW" and got angrier at him and herself. Her face twisted in a stone hard look that could have burned a hole through metal. She felt the anger boiling up and bubbling within her. She stood up, erect and thoroughly fuming now. She picked up her weapons and quickly, smoothly, and swiftly settled them all in place over herself. She grabbed her staff last of all and opened the door into the hallway. She started to stalk down the corridors to the forest; she was going for a run.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Leg was turning a corner in the hallway; he realized he had been harsh on Neff and that she had really like the bracelet. He was going to apologize when he ran into her. Her face was smooth, but when she saw him it became full of disdainful anger. He gripped her arms and looked her in the eyes, she stared straight back. * Neff? Neff, what's wrong? Are you ok? Was it something I did? Does it have to do with the brac- * he broke off. She stared straight into his eyes and their brown eyes locked on each other, her anger and hatred bore like an acid through him and shocked, his mouth falling open slightly and he left go of her as his hands fell to his sides, drooping with the guilt he felt that he had caused.  
  
She strode past him, her anger an almost tangible crackling energy field around her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cur was on a horse and he was starting to come out of a trail in a small patch of trees into the courtyard when Neff came out of the palace and started down the steps in front of the palace. The Palace had grand white marble steps that led into a great courtyard that was deserted at this time of the day, but would be bustling later. The courtyard was edged with a gate and wall. Confined within the wall was the palace, stables, and some other important buildings. Between all the buildings were patches of trees and paths through them. Cur quickly ducked back down the path so she wouldn't see him. Her mind was brimming with so much turmoil he doubted whether she would have noticed he was there even if he had stood right in front of her.  
  
She marched across the courtyard, spoke to the guard in terse and tense words and practically ran out of the gate. Curunir quickly rode up to the gate, explained he wanted to go for a ride, and they let him through as well. Once out of sight, he rode into a gallop, chasing after the elven wizard who was speeding through the forest in an attempt to leave her anger behind. But he made sure to not come within hearing distance or seeing distance of her. She was barely in his mind reach, but enough so that he could track the flame that dimmed and flared sporadically.  
  
He wasn't sure what he was doing, but neither was she, they traveled on, and on; neither picking up the two bands of orcs roaming in the woods ahead of them. And they were headed straight towards them.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
They had been going for several hours, and at a pace that steadily ate up the ground. The horse, being elvish, was fine in keeping up with Neff's pace, but Cur wasn't. His butt was killing him, and he hoped that she would stop soon. Finally she did, but Cur could tell she stopped only long enough to drink form a nearby stream, before moving again. But she wasn't running through the forest this time. She was now practicing her blade work. She ran through her parries, and lunges, her stretches, and exercises.  
  
Cur sank down near the stream, he was at the same one Neff was, but far away from her. The horse drank, and Cur started to rub him down, since Neff showed no sign of moving on farther. Suddenly, Neff's focus changed. She wasn't practicing, but actually doing the real thing.  
  
She was fighting orcs.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Neff was been practicing her lunges, perfecting her landing position for lunges, just far enough to reach her target, but not so far that she couldn't pull herself back up. Then orcs were there. The burst suddenly through the trees, and Neff was so wrapped up in her angry thoughts, she didn't hear them coming, as she otherwise would have. It looked to be about a band, 20 orcs, but she was a bit busy and couldn't take the time to count them. And even if she had, she doubted they would stand still long enough for her to be sure she got them all and not counted an orc twice. She snorted at her thoughts and slashed and lunged and ran and twirled.  
  
She cut down four in the first few minutes, and handed out more cuts and bruises.  
  
Suddenly, one orc lunged at her back, another attacked her left side, and she fought off one more at her front. She had to do an awkward twirl and duck and slash to get out from all three, but she was flying through the air and sprawled out on the ground, her face in the dirt. She had tripped over one of the orcs that she had slain earlier.  
  
Six orcs surrounded her, their swords, spears, knifes, and other random objects of violence trained on her. She sat up gingerly and was relieved to notice that she had no broken, bones, more large bruises, but those would heal. She could still move despite the twangs of pain they gave her. Her heart sank as she saw the 10 orcs behind the six that surrounded her. 16 orcs, she had only taken down four. She saw with grim satisfaction, that many of them had cuts that were bleeding, and several had some missing limbs, which they were ignoring.  
  
Pictures from her days up north flashed through her mind, and the dread inside her grew. She remembered the sick feelings when they had found heads or mauled bodies, or tunics that were soaked in blood of their former owner. Sometimes, orcs would maul the bodies of the dead and leave the head untouched, sometimes they scalped it though, to torment those who would find the bodies later and realize who the corpse was.  
  
She had seen many dead bodies, and although she was a fighter, she never lost that sick feeling in her stomach when her blade drove into flesh. But no matter what she had seen, she had always kept a tight hold on her stomach, there were times when throwing up could be fine and healthy, but on the northern border, those times were rare and few between. The last place to throw up is on the battlefield, to many enemies about to cut you down in your time of weakness. Unfortunately, the battlefield was one of the few places were you wanted to throw up right away.  
  
As pictures of bloody heads, bodies, and clothes came to the surface of her mind, she felt her stomach start to rebel, and she wanted so badly to give up her insides. Those dead bodies could be her. Neff felt her face blanch and decided she needed to go down a different track of thought.  
  
She managed to concentrate on what the two commanders of the band were arguing about. She couldn't understand orcish, though she promised if she outlived this day, she would learn it. Her churning stomach and the blanket of dread and horror on her mind refused to allow her to concentrate to use spells; but mind speech had been instinct in her, so she listened in on the commanders. They were trying to decide what to do with her, and she went paler as they brought up more horrible memories. She was almost white and her stomach was just on the verge of spilling out when a shaft of calm reassurance fled into her.  
  
Suddenly out of the forest edge rushed a blur of white. In seconds three more were down. She realized it was a person dressed in white and on a white horse. The horse spun around and she saw, "Curunir!" she gasped. He grinned reassuringly at her. Then five more rushed in and three pulled him down while two grabbed the horse. The horse bucked and Curunir struggled but one of the orcs put something on the horse's nose and the horse's eyes rolled upwards before it fell. Another orc hit Curunir on the head and he fell in a pile beside her.  
  
"Curunir? Are you alright?" Curunir bobbed his head and she sighed. Curunir was no fighter. She was surprised he had gotten down three, but he did have the surprise. Then they were roughly grabbed and dumped at the center of the clearing. The rest of the orcs then proceeded to blather and bustle about who was getting what and so on and so forth.  
  
"Are you all right? I got here as soon as I could." She nodded, her mouth was dry. "All right, how about we leave this party?" She nodded. She felt her throat expand as food started to come up. She clamped her mouth shut and swalloed hard until the feeling passed. She gasped for air as the horrible taste of bile and throw-up filled her mouth.  
  
Curunir's hands and feet had been tied but he managed to sit upright and then his eyes seemed to draw inwards as he concentrated. Suddenly a bright light burst from him and Neff and all around them. Immediately the bright wave of light cut down the 13 orcs.  
  
Neff felt her stomach lurch again and this time she couldn't hold it, she threw up. Her insides were heaving and seeing more dead bodies wasn't helping. Curunir backed himself up to one of the blades lying nearby and dragged his bonds over the rough edge. Finally the dull blade cut the ropes and he quickly freed his feet. He crawled over to Neff and untied her ropes and wiped her dirty mouth with a corner of his robe. Then they both fell to the ground and lay there heaving for breath. Neff still felt sick still and Curunir felt wiped out from the spell.  
  
Then out of the woods around them the other band appeared. Cur groaned, Neff didn't have the energy too. The band circled around them and leering grotesque faces sneered down at them. Neff threw up again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trouble is on the way! I got sick of mushy fluff romance so I decided to get her mad at the two who love her best. Even elves go through pms too! (Well, if they don't, they do now!) Well, review and tell me what you think of Neff's new feelings towards the two!  
  
Oh, update: I had stopped this thing for a while and had given up on it. I am now trying to finish it and at least get some more important parts in. Please, this will take awhile and I will update as I write it, Thanks for reading!  
  
Hey, I am currently going through this and re-writing parts and adding stuff in that I had in my mind and not down. I am also working on the next chapter, but I am now at the point where I think I may have to read the Similarion. So, things may slow down. dunno, what I am going to do, I am also working on parts of the story that aren't going to appear for a WHILE! So yeah, have patience and you will receive (or whatever that saying is.)  
  
~Kit ;) 


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